Dark Hell
by Animal Luvr 4 Life
Summary: The year is 3120, and our nation's capital is its own little country. It is ruled by three vampiric beings known as the Nightwalkers, who rule with an iron fist and the motto "obey or be killed." Rated M for violence, etc.
1. List of Characters

Dark Hell

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape, or form, own any of the guys of the WWE. I only own Ayla, Eve, and Anastasia. Read and review!

Characters/Descriptions:

**The Nightwalkers: **Their origins are unknown, and as far as anyone knows, they are most active when night falls. They are extremely powerful, ruling with an iron fist as well as with the motto, "obey or be killed," which is not to be taken lightly, for they take this seriously. They are also not afraid to make an example of a rulebreaker or two to strike fear into others.

Damian Zinesdiet (Dave Batista): The eldest of the Nightwalkers. He is quite clever, extremely strong, and possesses even dangerously extreme animalistic characteristics that lead to violent outbursts of rage and is a major source in his killing methods.

Hunter Majistal (Randy Orton): The baby of the group. He is extremely sadistic, and likes to torture his victims into giving him answers to whatever he asks by using his hands as a weapon.

Xavier Donzenza (John Cena): The second eldest of the group. X, as he is most commonly called, may look sweet and innocent, but underneath that visage is the demeanor of a demonic being that takes pleasure in getting riled up and striking without warning. Many have fallen victim to his sudden outbursts of rage, which in turn quenches his thirst to kill.

**The Sacrifices:** Three women chosen to pacify the rage of the Nightwalkers. Sacrifices are usually given to the Nightwalkers as payment of a debt owed, but in this case, they are being offered as a way to stop the senseless killing of innocent people. The Nightwalkers then use the Sacrifices however they please.

Anastasia Parezides: Charming, sexy, brilliant Anastasia is the badass of the new set of Sacrifices. She doesn't take anyone's crap, and is not afraid to speak her mind when she feels she needs to.

Ayla Lantzere: Ayla is the levelheaded one of the group. She is usually the one people go to when they feel they need someone to talk to or someone to listen to their problems. She can also think of ideas as soon as they come to mind.

Eve Kansperi: Eve is the sweetheart of the group. She is a bit naïve and self-centered, and also scares easily. How will she take to being a sacrifice for a group of brutes like the Nightwalkers?


	2. Prologue: The Awakening

**Summary:** Washington, DC. The year is 3120, and the city is currently ruled by a trio of creatures known as the Nightwalkers, called so because they awake from a peaceful slumber once the sun has set. They rule with the simple motto "obey or be killed," which means that to survive their rule, you have to obey them, whether it is good or bad. Many innocents have fallen victim to these monsters for failing to adhere to the rules, and the citizens have grown afraid of what would happen to them if the monsters decide to snap and kill them all. A plan is devised to offer female sacrifices to the Nightwalkers in a ritual that is performed every 100 years. However, the Nightwalkers hear of the plan (as they are asleep), and decide to have a little fun of their own with their subjects. Just as the sacrifices are being prepared to be offered to them, the evil creatures strike, kidnapping the women and killing all who stand in their way.

Prologue- The Awakening

**Christmas Day, 3100**

A group of partygoers walked in silence to their next destination. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!" one of them exclaimed. "Agreed," another answered. The group continued on their way until they came across a huge house—Blackhorse Manor. "Is this where we're supposed to be?" one asked. "I'm not sure, Lissa," came the reply. "There aren't any lights on. Nor is there anyone home." _That's what you think_, an unheard voice said. _Come inside and join me_, the voice continued. _Well, me and my friends, that is_. "Hey, Cameron, did you hear something?" Lissa asked. "No, I did not," Cameron replied. "And I'm going in. Everyone else must be coming later—I am sure this is the right house." Lissa followed after Cameron and the rest of the group. "I don't want to be out here by myself. Wait for me!" What they didn't know was that they weren't getting out of the house alive.

Inside the house, the group of friends walked around, taking in their surroundings. "Wow!" Lissa exclaimed as she walked down a hallway. "This stuff is so pretty. Wonder who takes care of all of this." Cameron joined her. "Hm, whoever takes care of this stuff does a pretty good job of it," he murmured. Just then, Josie joined them. "Guys," she began. "Are we sure we're in the right house? It really looks as if this isn't the place. Let's get out of here. Where's Dylan?" They looked at each other for a moment "Guys," Dylan ran up to them, breathless. "Come with me to the great hall...you have got to see what's in there."

Everyone ran to the great hall, where three large coffins lay. "I don't think we should be in here," Josie said, and turned to leave. Dylan grabbed her hand. "Where is your sense of adventure?" They then headed back to the great hall and looked at the coffins. "I'm lost," Lissa said. "It's Christmas, and there are coffins. What is with that?" They turned around to look at the rest of the hall. Just then, the lid of the middle coffin began to slide open as they were looking around. The lid kept sliding until it crashed to the floor with a loud thud. "What was that?" Cameron asked. "I didn't hear anything," Dylan said. _Glad to know that_, the voice said. _Looks like we have guests, boys. Awake from your sleep and prepare to feed._ "Well, I did," Josie said, looking around the room. "Hey, guys," she said suddenly. "That wasn't there before, was it?" she asked, looking at the lid of the middle coffin. "N-no," Lissa stammered. "It wasn't. I think we should get out of here." The four turned to leave the hall, and that was when the lids of the other two coffins slid open and fell to the floor. Three animal-like growls shook the room, frightening the four partygoers as the contents of the coffins awoke from their sleep.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" the house's three inhabitants asked. "Well, will ya look at the time? I think we'll be heading out. Apparently we're at the wrong house," Dylan said, nervously glancing at his watch. "Damian," Hunter whispered, "you're not going to let them leave just yet, are you?" Damian shook his head. "Of course not," he said. "We're going to have them for dinner—and I do mean them. X, get the doors. None of them are getting out of here."

Dylan ran to the front door, only to be stopped by Xavier. "What's the hurry? We're just getting acquainted," Hunter asked him. "And you might not want to leave without your friends now, do you?" Dylan turned to find Cameron lying on the floor, unconscious and Josie and Lissa strapped to chairs. "Please," he begged. "Let us go, we won't say anything." The three demons looked at him, looks of pure hunger on their faces. "Oh no, Dylan," Damian hissed. "That is something I'm afraid we can't do. Grab him."

Xavier crept upon the unsuspecting boy and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Yes, Damian," he growled, "this one should be yours. He was nearest to your coffin first. Drink from him, then we can choose who we want after." Damian didn't need to think twice on this. He grabbed Dylan by the throat, wrenched the boy's head to the side, and sank his fangs into his neck, completely draining him. "Mmm," he growled. "He was quite delicious. But I need more. You two can have the girls. I want the other boy. Give him to me!" Hunter picked Cameron off the floor and handed him to Damian. "Wh-what happened? Oh my God, Dylan!" Cameron's strangled sob cut into the silence. "It's too late for you, and your friends as well, boy," Xavier said, a smirk on his face. Within seconds, Cameron, Lissa, and Josie were all dead, drained of their blood by the three mysterious creatures.


	3. A Dark Hell

Chapter 1- A Dark Hell

May 4th, 3120, 9:40 PM

A group of city elders sat at a table in the Capitol Diner, discussing the day's current events. "What are we going to do? Every time someone disobeys a rule, _they_ kill that person." The _they_ that the elders were talking about were the Nightwalkers, the beings that ruled the city. "No, no, they take turns dealing with a rulebreaker," another elder said. "Today's will be dealt with by Hunter, and we know how that will turn out."

Hunter, as in Hunter Majistal, was the deadliest of the Nightwalkers. His sadistic mind produced the most violent of methods to dispose of a lawbreaker, but he preferred to use his hands to exact his punishments.

"What was this latest case? Destroying public property?" one of the elders asked.

"No, Marty, it was worse than that. This one was caught saying that Damian...well, he said that Damian was a worthless piece of dirt, then proceeded to spit on his portrait in the Town Square. Needless to say, when word of that reached Hunter, he was not very amused. We're all to meet at City Hall to see what kind of punishment is being exacted tonight, after they wake from their sleep," another elder informed him.

"Well," Marty said, rising from his chair. "It is almost 9:40, and they will be awake in 20 minutes. We had better get to City Hall."

Meanwhile, not a sound, except for the sound of servants moving around finishing the preparations for their masters' awakening, was to be heard at Blackhorse Manor, the home of the Nightwalkers. Damian, Hunter, and Xavier were still asleep, but weren't due to wake from their sleep for another few minutes. In order to avoid the wrath of three angry "demons of the darkness," as they were lovingly called by their servants, work was done around the clock to ensure that everything was done properly so that when the trio did wake up, nothing remained undone.

Their work done, the servants made their way to the great hall, where three large lapis coffins lay. A chair was placed beside each coffin, and in the chairs sat three young women, whose purpose was to be the first meal for the trio when they woke from their sleep. Silence took over the room as everyone waited for them to make their presence known to the city. Suddenly, the lid of the middle coffin began sliding off until it hit the floor of the room with a thud. A monstrous growl followed after the lid fell. The servants all fell to their knees at once.

Everyone knew what was about to go down.


	4. The First Trial

Chapter 2- The First Trial

May 4th, 3120, 10:00 PM

The servants were still on their knees when the Nightwalkers woke from their sleep. Damian emerged from his coffin, his eyes a deep crimson. Soon after, Hunter and Xavier rose from their coffins, their eyes also crimson.

"Get up," Hunter hissed. "Explain these three scrumptious ladies to us. Food or no?" Eden, the head of housekeeping, stepped forward to speak. "Yes, Master Hunter, we picked these three out for your meal before you head out to City Hall tonight. Are they not to your liking?" she asked while she shoved them in front of her. "Go on, move it! They don't like to wait."

Damian walked around the frightened women. "Hmm, I want this one. She smells divine," he growled as he made his choice. He went back to rejoin Hunter and Xavier where they stood. "Which one did you pick?" they asked as he rejoined them. "Her," he replied, pointing at the tall redhead that stood next to Eden, who then pushed her back towards Damian.

"Well then, we'll take these two," Xavier said, grabbing the blonde while Hunter took the brunette. "They are definitely to our liking. You have done well. Leave us while we get ready for tonight's events." One by one, the housekeeping staff filed out of the hall and back to their rooms. "Well, then," Xavier murmured. "I don't know about you two, but I am starving. What do you say we have dinner now and get to City Hall?" They hungrily drained their victims dry, changed into the clothes Eden laid out for them, tossed on their signature black trenchcoats, and transformed into clouds of black smoke.

**10:15 PM**

The citizens of the nation's capital were at City Hall, quietly awaiting the arrival of the Nightwalkers. Some of them were beginning to wonder if they were even awake. Suddenly three clouds of black smoke drifted into the building, immediately silencing the crowd.

"Aww, you weren't expecting us to come tonight? For shame." Damian hissed at the elders, causing them to fall back into the group. "Now, tell us," Hunter said, rubbing his hands together as he, Xavier, and Damian took their seats on their thrones. "What is on the agenda tonight? Oh, that's right, Mr. Trice there decided to say a few horrible things about Damian. What are you doing just standing there? Bring the bastard up here."

Two guards brought the defendant forward. "Robert Trice," he began. "For the past few years, you have been NOTHING but trouble to us Nightwalkers. Now you do the absolutely WRONG thing, saying that Damian is a worthless piece of dirt. Not only that, you go and desecrate his portrait at the Town Square. What kind of example are you setting for your fellow citizens? Hmm?"

Damian glared at Trice, his brown eyes darkening at the sight of the trembling man. "I'll tell you," Hunter growled. "It just means that some people here are not happy with our rule, but one decided to say what he really felt. I say we just finish this now. I thirst yet again." Xavier shook his head. "I second that. This is getting nowhere." Damian raised a hand to silence them.

"Quiet, you two. Trice, do you have anything to say before we end this? I know I do." The doomed man began to speak. "You're still worthless, Lord Damian," he began. At once, a buzzing rang through the crowd. "You're nothing—in fact, all three of you are nothing. You're no leader, you're just monsters."

A growl rose from Damian's throat. "Take that last statement back, or suffer even more than what we're about to do to you, you pathetic mortal," he hissed. Trice shook his head in a way as to say "fat chance, bastard." Damian was not amused by the show of ignorance being displayed. "Oh, no? Well then, boys, I say we rip out his heart, and eat it while he slowly dies," he snarled.

"Hunter, go ahead and do the honors...as for his wife and children, we can share them. X, do you have anything to add?" Xavier nodded his head. "Nothing, except for this. We gave you a chance, Trice. But now, I don't regret what will happen to you. Rip his heart out, Hunter. I want to see his face as he suffers." Hunter's eyes began to glow an eerie shade of gray as he grabbed Trice by the throat. "Say goodnight, motherfucker. I'm going to enjoy killing you in front of of your wife and children, which the three of us will feast on after you're dead."

With that being said, the guards brought the doomed man's family up to their leaders. Hunter let out a ear-shattering growl and drove his hand into Trice's chest, pulling out the man's beating heart. "Well, boys," he murmured as the dead man fell to his knees, "what do you say we eat?" Damian and Xavier stepped down from their seats to feed on the dead man's heart. They also took part in sharing his body to drain it of blood. After they disposed of Trice, Xavier's eyes drifted onto the dead man's wife and children, who they ripped into next and drained of blood as well. "Now," Damian said. "Go home, and think about this, because this could and WILL be you if ANYONE desecrates any of our portraits in the Town Square again. Good night." And with that, he, Hunter, and Xavier disappeared into their clouds of black smoke.


	5. The Nightwalkers: A History

Chapter 3- The Nightwalkers: A History

The Nightwalkers were a race of mysterious creatures whose origins were unknown to history. They were bloodsucking creatures who feasted on the blood of humans to survive. They were persecuted to no end by humans who wanted to rid their world of the demonic creatures.

A war was waged, and by the time it ended, lands ran red with blood, and only three of these creatures remained. The three remaining Nightwalkers were run out from the place they called home, and were forced to make a home elsewhere. They weren't the most peaceful of creatures either; their eyes changed color when they were agitated, but it was even worse when they were provoked to anger and enraged, when their true forms, which were horrifying, yet beautiful dragonlike creatures, were unleashed. This just meant that whoever had gotten them angry was in more than a world of hurt.

The Nightwalkers were highly skilled in all kinds of weaponry and warfare, but they chose to use their hands to settle a score. This talent attracted the attention of many warlords and kings, who wanted someone who was clever, quick, and worked without being seen. Soon enough, they were hired as mercenaries to take out their customers' enemies and others, and were paid by the pound when a job was completed.

Besides using their hands, the Nightwalkers used knives, swords, or any kind of weapon that was available to them. If there were none available, their hands alone worked just as well. For years, they assassinated, strangled, murdered, and slaughtered thousands, let alone millions, of people—all in the name of survival.

Even though the Nightwalker race went extinct, you have to remember that three remaining Nightwalkers survived the war that destroyed their kind. These three still had to find a way to survive, and so they continued the tradition of feeding on blood.

They tried to feed on animal blood, but found it too dry and unsatisfying. They became irritated with this, and as a result, went back to using humans as a food source. According to scrolls dating back as far as ancient Rome, human blood nourished the Nightwalkers, who hunted at night.

The ancient Romans used to lock themselves in their homes at night so they wouldn't turn up as the next meal for these creatures. Some people weren't that lucky, and there was always some unlucky person who would go for a late night stroll and wind up as dinner for the bloodthirsty Nightwalkers.

The Nightwalkers were skilled in dark magic, which was common back in the old days. They used their magic to lure their female victims to their lair during the day while they were asleep in order to have a meal waiting for them when they woke at night. That way, they didn't have to go out at night if they didn't have to. They were also very sensual creatures, sometimes using sex as a way for them to feed on their victims.

Another fact about the Nightwalkers was that they were extremely clever. If they saw that a deal was suspicious, they would change the rules around so it suited them, not their customers. This is what (or might have) led to the 2,000 year slumber they were forced to to take. They had a thought: "why should we just kill those that they want killed? Why not kill them as well?" The _them_ they were describing were their clients, the same clients that wanted their enemies killed. The reason for this thought was because they felt as if they were being cheated.

Scrolls once again stated that the Nightwalkers' clients were plotting to take the Nightwalkers themselves out. The scrolls also stated that one of the clients, a warlord whose name is not known, ordered three coffins made out of lapis lazuli to throw them into. Soon after, a bloody battle again ensued between bloodsucking mercenaries and greedy warlords. The Nightwalkers won the battle, but were outnumbered and ambushed by their former clients, who tossed them into what was to become their home for the next 2,000 years. They then slept like this until they were awakened 1,100 years later, in 3100.


	6. The Sacrifices, pt 1: A History

Chapter 4- The Sacrifices, part 1: A History

Another proven fact in the scrolls of ancient Rome was the Sacrifice. This ritual was originally performed as a way to feed the insatiable appetites of the Nightwalkers, but as the years went by, it evolved from a feeding ritual to something more of an offering of sorts to pay off debts owed to them. At this time, the Nightwalkers chose to work little jobs for people when they woke up at night. They were offered money as payment for these jobs, which included ridding houses of unwanted pests, such as mice (something their psychic powers were used for) and other vermin. If the person didn't have the money to pay them, they would offer something else in return. Because the Nightwalkers were easily provoked into rage from not receiving payments from the menial work they performed, the ancient Romans decided to begin offering monthly Sacrifices to them. This ritual would be performed in the dead of night (with torchlights or fire as a light source) by city elders, and the offerings were 20 virginal young women, since the Nightwalkers had long developed a taste for the blood of virgins. This worked out well, as the ritual produced enough food for the bloodthirsty creatures for an entire month, but it also allowed the ancient Romans to live in peace for a month without having the wrath of the Nightwalkers on them.

The Nightwalkers, on the other hand, again began to feel that they were being cheated on a deal. Then came the demand for more sacrifices to quench the Nightwalkers' even more insatiable appetites. They then threatened to kill if the demands weren't met. The ancient Romans began to fear for their lives, and fulfilled the order for more virgins. At least 10 extra virgins a month were offered to the Nightwalkers to meet these demands, which seemed to be working. Now, you may ask, what happened to these virgins? If you read the history of the Nightwalkers, you may remember that the Nightwalkers were very sensual creatures who loved sex and everything about sex. What was not told is what would happen if they were enraged during the Sacrifices. Yes, they did accept the virgins, as they wanted, but what they did to them is the horrible part that was not a part of the ritual. Yes, the virgins were inexperienced, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was because of the building rage and/or bloodlust that grew within the Nightwalkers—it was also because of the ignorance of the elders. This rage needed to be let loose, and who was the better choice in this situation for that rage to be unleashed upon? The poor virgins never saw what hit them, for as soon as they were given to the Nightwalkers, all hell broke loose. The girls were put into a torchlit room, and held there until the creatures were ready for them. Then, they were taken, in three groups of three each, to another torchlit room, where the nightmarish horrors were to begin. There they were raped repeatedly by the Nightwalkers until they were barely able to stand, much less walk. Finally, they were put out of their misery when they were killed, drained of their blood and then cremated on a huge funeral pyre built by the elders, who saw that the Nightwalkers were a whole lot calmer and easier to deal with when they were sated and not enraged.

In time, the Nightwalkers began to calm down, and they were asked to be a bigger help to the ancient Romans by serving as the city's protectors. Their job was to make sure the city was protected from attacks by nomadic tribes that would try to wreak havoc wherever they went. The Nightwalkers were the ones to wreak havoc by making meals out of these tribes, sneaking out to their camps and killing them before they had a chance to get over the city walls. They served this job well, and as a reward (in addition to the money they were being paid for protecting the city) for the wonderful job they were doing, the elders made a deal with the Nightwalkers. The deal was this: for every tribe destroyed, the women from those same tribes were given as sacrifices to them to do as they pleased (in this case, the women were used as food and sex toys).

All was right with this deal, but for how much longer?

Again, this seemed to be a good deal, until the nagging thought that they were being cheated yet again made the Nightwalkers wary of the Romans. Instead of demanding more virgins for sacrificing, they began killing every woman in sight, using the same method of pain: rape until the victims were weak, feed when the women were unable to move, then cremate the bodies after they were done feeding. Once again, the elders saw that the Nightwalkers were serious about being cheated out of deals, and decided to cooperate with them before any more carnage could occur.

The deliveries of sacrificial virgins resumed once more, with 24 extras every month to avoid any altercations. Everyone was happy, and the Nightwalkers continued with their job of protecting Rome. This lasted until the Nightwalkers became mercenaries and met their fate in the 2,000 year sleep they took.


	7. Transformation: Enter the Dragon

Chapter 5- Transformation: Enter the Dragon, A History

The Nightwalkers, if you remember from reading what was discovered about them in history, were provoked into sudden outbursts of rage. These outbursts then led to their true demonic forms being unleashed, which usually spelled trouble for those who brought on this rage. When they were enraged, the Nightwalkers turned into dragons—beautiful yet horrifying creatures that brought fear in the eyes of many who looked upon them. The way the transformation worked was a simple process.

Let's say that someone accused one of the Nightwalkers of cheating them out of something...

This obviously wouldn't be true, because the Nightwalkers were usually the ones being cheated out of things.

So, besides the usual arguing with the person to say that they didn't cheat anyone, the eyes of the Nightwalkers would suddenly change color in mid-sentence. This color could range from crimson to violet, depending on the mood.

Then came the shifting of their human forms into dragon form, which struck terror in the eyes of all who witnessed this change.

It was NOT a good idea to piss the Nightwalkers off, because if you did, you were dead meat. And trust me, they didn't care if you made a mistake or not.

It just meant an early death. Or worse. A person might have lived, but known not to cross paths with the Nightwalkers ever again or meet their doom.

For centuries, the Nightwalkers tore a bloody and violent path through civilization. They just about had it with people cheating them, and they were completely pissed off to no end. They also felt that the only way to deal with a cheater was to destroy them, which is what they did. Many fell under the claws of the Nightwalkers, especially when they were in dragon form.


	8. The Sacrifices, pt 2: A History

Chapter 6- The Sacrifices, pt. 2: A History

The Nightwalkers awoke in 3100, and they had an appetite to rule over their human foes. As soon as they regained their strength, they took over our nation's capital, Washington, D.C.

Now we come to discussing the purpose of the Sacrifices in today's world. The Nightwalkers still wanted the Sacrifices to continue when they woke up in 3100; this was also the year they took over the District of Columbia and made it their ruling grounds . The reason they did this was because they still needed to feed, but the previous act of offering virgins was no longer required. Instead, the creatures insisted that the women being sacrificed were "payments of loyalty" to them, meaning that they were offering the women in order to show their loyalty.

This usually did not end well. There were times where the city elders did not have anything to offer to the Nightwalkers, and this resulted in the creatures' rage being provoked. And when this happened, people paid with their lives.

The present-day Sacrifices involved the same ritual as it did back in ancient times. Women were offered to the Nightwalkers to be used for food and sex, just like back in the day, but they lightened up on their methods of breaking the spirits of these women. They no longer raped them, but instead weakened them with their dark magic, utilizing spells that they used for years to lure women to them.

However, the familiar nagging feeling of being cheated began to yank at the Nightwalkers yet again. So, they decided to test the city elders to see if they were really being loyal to their leaders.

This test of loyalty was simple. The Nightwalkers would take the intended sacrifices before the day of the ritual. They would then see what the elders would do in case there were no women to be sacrificed.

They decided to make this test official in 3120, even though the next ritual was to be performed in 3220.

It was to be a requirement for each time the ritual occurred.


	9. Anastasia

Chapter 7- Anastasia

**Name:** Anastasia Parezides

**Age:** 24

**Occupation:** Bartender, the Rusty Nail

"When exactly am I getting the hell out of here?" an exasperated Anastasia Parezides asked herself. "I have been at work since 2:30 this afternoon, without a lunch break, without a coffee break, and without a breath of fresh air." She blew a strand of hair out of her face, then went back to picking up the bin of dirty dishes she was about to take into the kitchen.

Lina, her boss, came running up to her. "Ana," she called.

"Yeah, Lina?"

"Guess what, girlie? You get to go home now...go get some rest for the next few days, because I have decided to give you the rest of the week off."

Anastasia was elated. Not only could she go home, she had the rest of the week off. More reason to be happy.

Anastasia Parezides was known as the so-called "badass" of her circle of friends, which included Eve Kansperi and Ayla Lantzere, her friends since childhood. Ana, as she was nicknamed, worked as a bartender at the Rusty Nail, a local bar located on the outskirts of the city, in Tysons Corner. She was a highly intelligent, charming, and independent young woman who had to constantly use her charm to get out of sticky situations involving perverts who called themselves bar patrons, which usually resulted in her using her fists to fend off some of these men.

Ana was described as a "true fighter" by people she knew. This was because she stood up for herself and wasn't afraid of anyone. She also didn't take people's shit, much less let anyone put her down, and took pride in using her fists to solve her problems.

Maybe this was the reason she lived alone.

Ana lived pretty nicely, living in a beautiful one bedroom apartment near Union Station, which the Nightwalkers had allowed to keep running because they realized the importance of the transit systems to their subjects. For Ana, it was an easy way to get to and from work every day without the huge hassle of rush hour traffic.

What she didn't know was that she was being watched...by one of the Nightwalkers themselves, for she was to be one of the Sacrificed for the Sacrifice that was to occur in a few days' time.


	10. Ayla

Chapter 8- Ayla

**Name:** Ayla Lantzere

**Age:** 25

**Occupation:** Psychiatrist, Lantzere & Associates

"Good girl. Don't you feel any better, Ariel?" Ayla asked her young patient. "Yes, Dr. Ayla," the little girl replied, a smile on her chubby face. Ayla laughed, a smile on her face as well. "That's good. I see that it's time for you to get going. So, the next time I see you, I want all smiles, okay?" she asked. "Yes, ma'am," Ariel replied as she walked out the door to meet her mother, who was waiting in the office's reception area.

Ayla Lantzere was the levelheaded one of the group. In other words, she was the one people went to if they had problems, or just needed someone to talk to. Which is why she chose to be a psychiatrist—very much so because she was a great listener and a great person to offer advice to those in need.

Like Anastasia, Eve was highly intelligent, but very quiet as well. She had a very bad temper when she was provoked, but unlike Ana, who chose to use her fists to solve her problems, she chose to use her voice to solve problems.

Even though she lived in D.C. she worked at her own practice in nearby Arlington. She also offered advice to Ana and Eve if needed, and didn't mind helping them with their own issues, free of charge, of course. She was also very creative and idealistic, which went to describe how she could produce ideas in seconds.

Eve lived in a charming one story home on Pennsylvania Avenue, which was unfortunately the location of Blackhorse Manor. Even though she had heard stories of strange occurrences in that house, including the disappearance of four teenagers in 3100, she still decided to live in that area.

Ayla was finishing up some paperwork in her office when Jasmine, her receptionist, poked her head into the office. "Ayla," she said. "I have to leave now to go pick Leanna up from school. Do you need anything?" Ayla shook her head. "No, I don't think so, plus when you leave, I was going to close up for the night. Don't worry, and I will see you on Monday." Jasmine closed the door behind her, and Ayla went back to finishing her paperwork.

Meanwhile, a dark figure watched Ayla as she occupied herself with her work. The dark figure continued to watch her, a smile on its face. _She is perfect_, it thought to itself. _I want her—she will be mine, no matter what_. Then it disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.


	11. Eve

Chapter 9- Eve

**Name:** Eve Kansperi

**Age:** 23

**Occupation:** Waitress, New Cassel Inn

"Almost done with this last order. What was that? I can leave for the evening after this?" a very surprised Eve Kansperi asked Kara, her manager at the New Cassel Inn.

"Yes, sweetie," Kara replied. "Take a load off when you get home. Read a book or something."

Eve was happy—this meant that she could just go home and work on some very much needed to be done projects around the apartment.

Eve was the youngest of the group. She worked as a waitress at the New Cassel Inn, which was also located in Arlington, not too far away from Ayla's office.

This allowed the two to meet up for lunch when they had a free moment or two.

Eve lived in a quaint two bedroom apartment in the center of the city. She shared the apartment with Cassie, her coworker from the inn. The two girls did almost everything together, from sharing the responsibilities of maintaining the apartment to the cooking and cleaning.

Eve was the naive one of the bunch, and she scared easily. Anything that went bump gave her a scare, which was why she hated to work until the inn closed most nights. This was another reason she dreaded going over to Ayla's apartment. Like Ayla, she too had heard about the four teenagers disappearing on Christmas Day in 3100.

She worried that she, Ana, and Ayla would be the next ones to disappear if they went near that house.

When she got home, Eve went straight to her room and pulled out one of her favorite books, an anthology of Shakespeare's best works, and began to read.

A mysterious figure lay in wait inside Eve's closet, watching as she read her book. _What a delicate one she is. I think I'll enjoy taking my time with this one._ Then the figure disappeared into the night.


	12. Watching, and Patiently Waiting, pt 1

Chapter 10- Watching, and Patiently Waiting, pt. 1: Damian

Damian Zinesdiet sat in the master bedroom of Blackhorse Manor, immersing himself in deep thought. _I have to have that girl_, he thought to himself. _She's so beautiful, she would be more than perfect for me_, he continued to think to himself.

He continued to sit and think to himself about Anastasia as he smiled. "That's it," he said aloud. "I have to have her. I will have to talk to the city elders about her and have her brought to me as a Sacrificed One. I won't do without her."

Damian was the eldest Nightwalker, and was believed to have more powers than that of Xavier and Hunter. He was strong, handsome, crafty, and extremely clever, not to mention that he was extremely dangerous and had some even more extreme animalistic abilities, which were used in his methods of punishment.

He was also very cruel towards the city elders, literally crushing body parts whenever he was provoked during a meeting—one time while he was talking, an elder had the balls to talk while he was speaking on a subject—the poor man never saw it coming, but within seconds, Damian was on his feet and looming above him. The angered Nightwalker grabbed the man's hands and crushed them with one hand. The entire board of elders shut their mouths completely, and one took the injured man out of the room. After that incident, no one dared speak around Damian during a meeting, or else they would pay dearly for the interruption.

Now, all he could think of was the day of the Sacrifice—the day when a new set of Sacrifices were offered to Hunter, Xavier, and himself to be used for whatever they wanted them for. Damian was more than happy to take this opportunity to take the chosen girl as his mate—whether she liked it or not.

Damian thought again about the woman he was watching.

_Anastasia...I'm coming for you, my angel—don't you worry. And when I get you, you will be mine—__and you won't refuse me._

He couldn't stop thinking about what he would do to her first when she was offered to him. He couldn't stop thinking about what he would do to her first when she was offered to him. Maybe he would play one of his many sex games with her, or maybe he would have her tied up in the master bedroom and feast upon her naked body while she struggled to keep him away from her.

He couldn't decide what to do—all he knew was that he wanted Anastasia, and he HAD to have her.

Watching her as she was on her way home from Union Station was a treat for Damian—he usually waited until nightfall to watch his victims, but Anastasia was no victim—she was to be his mate. As he watched her, he fought back the urge to step out of the shadows and take her right then and there.

He decided to wait until the day of the Sacrifice to make his decision on what to do with Anastasia.

Until then, he was going to keep on watching her.

He began to plan his next watch upon his intended mate.


	13. Watching, and Patiently Waiting, pt 2

Chapter 11- Watching, and Patiently Waiting, pt. 2: Hunter

_I need her, I want her, I must have her—she will be mine, no matter what_, Hunter Majistal thought to himself. A sly smile crept upon his face as he busied himself with little tasks around his room at the Manor. "Hm, could use a woman's touch," he murmured.

He took a seat on his bed, closed his eyes, and thought about Ayla. "So beautiful," he sighed. "So perfect in every way—those eyes, that body—mmm, what I wouldn't do to have a taste of that," he said to himself, his eyes still closed.

He knew he had to have her, and that was the bottom line.

He also knew that Damian was holding a meeting with the city elders to discuss the upcoming Sacrifice. He decided that then was the time to talk the elders into bringing Ayla to be offered to him during the ritual.

He decided he had to do some investigating of his own about her, but also decided to consult Damian about his thoughts.

He opened his eyes, got up from the bed, and made his way to the study, where he knew Damian would be, possibly looking through the magic scrolls they preserved throughout the centuries.

"Damian?" he called.

"I'm over here," Damian answered.

Hunter found him sitting at the huge table, a stack of scrolls by his side. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Reading through these scrolls. I think that a sleep spell would be in order once our mates are brought to us," he replied. "What's up?" he asked. "Something is troubling you. Talk to me." Hunter took a deep breath, then began to tell Damian his thoughts about Ayla.

"She's so beautiful, Damian. I want to see more about her. What should I do?"

"I say you go out and watch her some more," Damian told him. "And you want to taste her so bad? Watch her while she works and sleeps—you know, stuff like that. As she lies there asleep at night, lie there with her. It is a lot easier to take her features in that way."

Hunter pondered this for a bit, then smiled. "Thank you, old one," he said, his smile growing more and more brighter. "I will take your advice to heart, and see what happens. In fact, I will go now, because I know that she is at home." He turned into black smoke and drifted out of the study.

Damian watched as Hunter's smoke cloud trailed out of the study. "Happy flight, young one," he whispered as he continued to read through the scrolls. "Ah, Anastasia," he whispered. "I can't wait till I watch you again."


	14. Watching, and Patiently Waiting, pt 3

Chapter 12- Watching, and Patiently Waiting, pt. 3: Xavier

Xavier Donzenza lay in bed, sound asleep. He was deep in his dreams, dreaming about his potential mate.

_Eve_.

All he could think about was Eve. Her naivety, her ultimate fear of everything, and her beauty entranced him, and he wanted more.

No, he didn't just want more of her, he needed more of her. She was everything he wanted—beautiful, sweet, innocent, kind, caring, and loving.

She was also a virgin, which made him smile even more. He definitely could work with Eve and break her in his sick, twisted way of dominating his women.

Eve was definitely all that and more. This was enough to make the second eldest Nightwalker a very happy demon, and he was indeed happy to be blessed with finding his mate in the 32nd century.

Xavier began to dream about the time he waited for her to return home after working her job at the inn. She had worked an 8 hour shift, from 11-7, and was bound to want to relax when she settled herself back in her apartment. He had situated himself inside her closet, with the door opened just a crack, just the way she liked it, and watched as she busied herself around her room.

It was then that he became fascinated with the sight before him. Eve was amazingly beautiful, and he found that he couldn't stop staring. Her eyes were a sparkling shade of gray with blue specks, which he found to be attractive. She also had all her curves in the right places, which he also liked. He felt his eyes glow red at the sight of her, and also began to feel an ever present erection begin to strain against the leather pants he was wearing. Suppressing a growl of pleasure, he continued to watch her.

Xavier had watched as Eve climbed into bed with her book of Shakespeare's best works, and begin to read. _Ah_, he murmured, fascinated by her love of reading. _So she likes Shakespeare. When she is mine, I will make sure this room has all of his works for her to read_.

He also knew she hated to work till closing because of her fear, but he couldn't help it that he wanted to test how easily she frightened. Using nothing but his mind, he willed an empty plastic cup from the kitchen to float towards her room, and allowed it to drop in front of her door. She had looked up in surprise, but didn't bother to move because she thought it had been Cassie who accidentally dropped it and was back in the kitchen getting paper towels to clean the mess.

Xavier suppressed a laugh while he watched the entire scene.

_Damn it_, he hissed. _That was to frighten her, not surprise her_. He disappeared into a cloud of black smoke soon after he watched the surprised expression on Eve's face.

Having slept for a rather long time that night, Xavier awoke feeling that he could successfully frighten Eve before he had her brought to him at the Sacrifice. If he remembered right, Damian and Hunter were going to talk to the city elders about their potential mates. He allowed himself a few more minutes to lay in bed, then rose from the bed, tossed on a fresh shirt and his trenchcoat, and disappeared into the night in his cloud of smoke towards Eve's apartment to get a fresh start on watching her again.

"Soon, my darling Eve," he said to himself. "Soon I will have you, and I will NEVER let you go. Ever."


	15. In Her Dreams, pt 1

Chapter 13- In Her Dreams, pt. 1: Damian and Anastasia

"God, what a day I had," Anastasia murmured as she opened the door to her apartment. "I'm glad I have the rest of the week off. Lina, you're the best." She tossed her purse and jacket on the dining room table, then went into her room, changed into a pair of pyjamas, flipped on the television, and threw herself into bed. Within seconds, she was fast asleep, the television having shut itself off a short while after.

_My God, she looks quite peaceful as she lies there asleep_, Damian thought as he watched Anastasia while she slept. "I wonder," he murmured to himself, "what will happen if I slipped in and watched her closer than before." He didn't think twice about transforming into a black smoke cloud, and drifted into her bedroom. Once he materialized into human form, he stood before her, closely watching the peaceful expression on her face. _You're so beautiful_, he thought as he got on his knees and knelt by her bed. He stroked her dark brown hair as he continued to watch her sleep. He quietly took in her features—everything he wanted to know about her, he was finding out just by looking at her. "I know I brought this up to Hunter," he said to himself, laughing at the idea. "But what if I had a bit of fun myself?" An evil smile crossed his face as he finished his thought.

Transforming into black smoke once again, he slowly drifted under the covers next to Anastasia. He ran a finger across her jaw, sighing deeply as he held back the urge to bite her.

Luckily for Ana, he had fed earlier, and was in no rush to feed again.

He began by letting his hands roam to her thighs, and while he parted them, he gently squeezed them as well. Situating himself between her legs, he went a bit further until his hands were at her chest, slowly pinching, sucking, and massaging her breasts, which were making him crazy. Then he lowered himself until he was at her core, the intoxicating aroma driving him even more insane than before. He pulled her closer to him, and began feasting on her, satisfying himself on her juices. He listened to the soft moans escaping her lips as his tongue lashed against her walls, lapping at anything he could get.

Before he continued his exploring, he checked to see if she was still asleep, which she was. "My darling Ana," he whispered, "When you are mine, I will satisfy you in more ways than you would ever dream of. Speaking of dreams, I wonder what you are dreaming of right now." He closed his eyes, then blew on his fingers, which released a pink mist, and placed them on Ana's forehead. Putting his telepathy to work, he made sure to keep her asleep without any interruptions, especially those of her waking up, panicked out of her mind, to find him in her room.

_Just sleep, my pet. I need this time to work my magic on you. When you awake, you will not remember anything of this, even though I would like it greatly if you did._

With that being done, Damian went back to working on his task. He used his mind's eye to look into Ana's dreams, paying close attention to the ones that interested him. He learned that Ana was all about her work and friends, spending as much time at the Rusty Nail and hanging out with Ayla and Eve as much as possible when she wasn't at work, and was both disappointed and elated that she wasn't involved with anyone at this moment in time.

_No man in her life? Damn...well, I'll be changing that come the Sacrifice. Then she'll be screaming for me every single night. _A small laugh escaped his lips.

After a while, Damian felt his eyes go black with hunger. "No, not now," he swore. "Shit. I already ate. And I don't want to do anything to her precious skin as of yet." He continued watching her dreams, then shut down the connection once he saw all that he wanted.

He noticed the sun beginning to rise, transformed into smoke, and drifted back to Blackhorse Manor.


	16. In Her Dreams, pt 2

Chapter 14- In Her Dreams, pt. 2: Hunter and Ayla

"Hmm, what should I watch tonight?" Ayla asked herself as she rummaged through her DVD collection. "Ah, how about 50 First Dates? That was a pretty hilarious movie, even though that was back in the 21st century...and I have to admit that I liked it a LOT." She had just gotten in from the office and had suddenly decided to pop a DVD in the DVD player to relax.

_Just watch your DVD, my darling. Watch it until you fall asleep. Then I'll make my way inside you—and you won't feel a thing._

Hunter, perched on a tree branch overlooking Ayla's bedroom, watched as his soon to be mate made herself comfortable in bed for the evening. Minutes later, she was laughing at Drew Barrymore screaming at Adam Sandler to get away from her, simply because she had no recollection of ever meeting him, much less remembering that they'd had sex. "Oh, my God," she cried, still howling with laughter at the movie, "now I remember why I like this movie so much. Even though she didn't remember anything, she still wound up with the guy at the end. Wish that would happen to me already."

_Oh, it will, darling Ayla. Just you wait and see. And when it does, you will be one of the happiest women in the world._

As she continued to watch the movie, Ayla suddenly began to cry. "I see why this never happens to me. My job gets in the way." She cried herself to sleep once the movie ended.

"Poor Ayla," Hunter whispered as he watched the tears fall from Ayla's face while she cried. "I would never be mad at her because of her job. And from what I have seen, she loves listening to others. I could definitely use someone like that." He transformed into black smoke and drifted, unseen, into the room. When he saw that she was asleep, he slipped under the covers and wrapped his arms around her.

_Boy, I am glad I listened to Damian's advice. This is really relaxing and comfortable. Now to make her relaxed._

He used his telepathy to help her sleep, then proceeded to put an old sleeping charm to good use to prolong her sleep.

_Just sleep, darling. Everything will be fine._

As the charm worked its magic, Hunter probed Ayla's dreams to find all he could about her—especially those of her wishing she had someone in her life and could be happy. All he could think of was how he wanted to be that special someone in her life. He also thought about what he would do to her when the night of the Sacrifice arrived.

_Maybe I should have a private feast when she is brought to me. Just me and her, with me feasting on her while she screams my name—over and over again, he he..._

An evil laugh, followed by a soft growl, escaped his throat as he continued to imagine this latest mental picture.

Hunter was imagining so hard that he didn't notice the extreme hard-on he was having as he lay there with Ayla. "Oh, shit," he muttered under his breath. "I wish that would stop happening every single time I have a hot vision like that. But boy is it worth it." He looked over at her to check if she was still asleep—which she was. He smiled and took his arm from around her shoulders, then sank beneath the sheets. He slowly spread her legs apart, took in the scent between them, and began sucking hungrily at her core. Growling as he feasted, he listened to the soft cries of pleasure Ayla was giving him. The noises were doing a whole lot more than making him go insane—and he had to be careful not to bite her, especially in that area.

_Keep going, my love...don't hold back. I love what you're doing to me. My God, I'm going insane here. When you're mine, this is all I want to hear—every single night!_

He stroked her hair as he continued his feast, marveling at how beautiful she looked. _One could get used to such beauty_, he thought to himself. _And I wonder why no man would want all, or any of this..._

Hunter finally pulled himself up from between Ayla's legs, long enough to glance out the window. "Damn, the sun is about to rise. I'd better get gone and head back to the lair."

He took one last look at Ayla, and smiled. "I'll be back for you, my love. As soon as I do get you, I will be the happiest demon alive." He turned into smoke, trailed out of the room, and headed back to the Manor.

_Hopefully you remember this, darling. I know I will._


	17. In Her Dreams, pt 3

A/N: "Keeping Up Appearances" is my favorite British comedy of all time. I started watching it on a trip to London years ago, and I have watched it nonstop since then! I suggest watching the show on DVD if you don't have the PBS channel like I do in NJ. That Hyacinth is enough to make you have a good time on Friday nights with her crazy antics!!

Chapter 15- In Her Dreams, pt. 3: Xavier and Eve

"Ahh," Eve sighed as she stepped into the bathtub. "This is quite nice. After my bath, I should turn on the TV and see what is on. Maybe my favorite show is on tonight." The show she was talking about was Keeping Up Appearances, the Britcom which starred Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "bouquet"), the main character of the show. Eve grew up watching the show as a child, and she never stopped watching the show, even as she went into adulthood.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax in the steaming water. "This is so good, I should do this every time I have a night off," she murmured, and continued to relax. Little did she know she was being watched.

"Ah, look at my sweet angel," Xavier said to himself as he watched Eve taking her bath. "So relaxed, so calm—this makes me regret the time I tried to scare her delicate self with that cup. I will have to be careful with her when she is brought to me." He then transformed into black smoke, and, while Eve was still in the bathroom, drifted into her bedroom. "Hmm, what a nice room," he commented. "I never saw anything so beautiful. She really keeps things neat—I can get used to someone like her keeping me in check with my things." He heard rustling sounds coming from the bathroom, which alerted him that Eve was preparing to get out of the bathtub. "Uh, oh," he commented. "I'd better find somewhere to hide. My angel is about done with her bath." He transformed into smoke again, and drifted into her closet to hide.

_What I wouldn't do to her when she comes out of that bathroom in nothing but a towel,_ he thought, a wicked smile crossing his lips.

Minutes later, Eve emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a towel. "That was amazing," she said aloud. "I need to do that more often." She dried herself off a bit, walked the towel back to the bathroom, moved to one of her drawers to find a nightdress to wear, applied some lotion to her still wet skin, grabbed a glass of water, and finally snuggled into bed. "Hey, I was right. Keeping Up Appearances is on tonight. Which episode is this? I hope it's the one where she was expecting that furniture and had Richard send the men around the corner for a bit." Turned out she was right, for that very episode was playing. Soon, Eve was howling with laughter at the episode, especially the part where she was on the phone with her son Sheridan, whom Richard thought was gay—but Hyacinth didn't see it that way. The boy wanted to go hiking in Italy or some country other than jolly old England, but Hyacinth, who babied the boy, wanted him to stay in England and just hike there.

_Damn, she really is intriguing,_ Xavier thought as he watched her. _Besides her love of Shakespeare, she has a love for this Keeping Up Appearances show. I will make sure she __watches this show with me—every time it is on, so that I can understand this Bucket woman. She is hilarious—and how does that boob of a husband deal with her shenanigans? I know I wouldn't have the patience for that._

Luckliy for Eve, there was a marathon of episodes for the show that night, so she (and Xavier, who was still hiding in her closet), were entertained for the next two hours. "Ha, ha, ha!" she laughed. "This episode is insane. Who knew those guys would get into an accident?" _That was bound to happen,_ Xavier thought as he watched the show in silence. _How obvious could this be?_

Finally, the marathon ended, and Eve began to feel sleepy. "Maybe I should go to bed now," she thought out loud. "I can barely keep my eyes open." She fluffed her pillow and laid her head on it. Seconds later, she was asleep—which gave a certain Nightwalker hiding in her closet time to emerge from his hiding place. As soon as he did so, Xavier's telepathy came into play, and he chanted the words to an incantation he used centuries ago to put his victims into a sleep that would eventually kill them. However, he didn't want to kill Eve, so he modified the words to fit the current time in history.

_Sleep now, my sweet angel. Lay your lovely head on that pillow, set yourself at ease, and dream of all things pleasant. Your king commands it._

_Finally,_ an exasperated Xavier hissed. _Now, onto the task at hand. Sleep, my sweet angel—and let me do what I came to. _His eyes glowed dark blue as he worked, meaning that he was beginning to see into her dreams. "What do we have here?" he asked. She has been rejected so many times, but she doesn't seem to care. I don't understand." Growling as he continued his dreamwatch, he let out a hiss. "I wouldn't be like this." He closed off the connection he had with her, and snuggled next to her. "Sweet Eve," he whispered as he held her in his arms, "I wouldn't dream of rejecting you. Not ever." He curled up with her until he felt his own eyes begin to droop, and fell fast asleep.

He woke a few hours later—in time to see the sun begin to poke out of the clouds. Without another word, he transformed into a smoke cloud and headed back to the Manor.

_I will have you, sweet angel—that you can count on._


	18. The Test of Loyalty

Chapter 16- The Test of Loyalty

"Well, now," Damian murmured as he walked around the room full of uneasy city elders. "What do you think of my idea? The one to bring the three Sacrificed Ones that Hunter, Xavier, and myself have chosen?" The elders looked at one another in fear, then looked down at their hands. Damian was not amused by the silence, and became infuriated with the elders. "Listen to me, you sneaky sons of bitches," he snarled. "Either answer me, or you know what will happen to you. Remember when Elder Nicholas talked while I was talking? It'll be about TEN times worse now. Think about it." Xavier and Hunter snickered in the background. "Better do as he says," they told them between giggles. "Because if you don't, there'll be 14 sets of newly broken hands, and the 15th will be broken all over again."

_**Flashback: Ancient Rome**_

"_I don't know," Elder Matthias said to himself. "I don't like the way these savages are taking care of things. I say we get rid of them." Three shadows emerged from the darkness behind him. "When you say savages," Damian asked him, "you don't mean us now, do you? If you do, I can show you the true meaning of a savage." Matthias shook his head. "No need for that, Master Damian," the frightened elder said. "It was nothing." Hunter shook his head. "Somehow, I don't believe him," he hissed, stepping forward to sniff out the man's lies. "He lies," he growled. "I say we teach him the meaning of lying to a Nightwalker. X, you can have the honors." The man got on his knees and begged for his life. "I won't lie to you again. I beg you." The Nightwalkers pondered the thought for a moment, then faced the elder. "Prove it," Damian said. "A simple test of loyalty will do. Prove that you are loyal to us, and you shall live. Fail, and you die."_

The elders discussed the idea amongst themselves, and finally gave the Nightwalkers an answer. "We have decided," Elder Anthony began, "that the chosen Sacrificed Ones—Anastasia Parezides, Ayla Lantzere, and Eve Kansperi—shall be offered to you the night of the Sacrifice." Hunter let a smile cross his face at the news.

_How nice,_ he thought. _Sweet Ayla, you will finally be mine. I can't wait._

Damian and Xavier also had smiles on their faces. "Finally," Damian said. "That was all I wanted to hear. Prove that this will happen by having them in the Town Square for us to examine. I want everything to be perfect, or I promise something bad will happen to ALL of you. Capiche?" The elders shook their heads. "Yes, Lord Damian," they replied. "Nothing will go wrong. We promise." That being said, the Nightwalkers left in their signature black smoke clouds and returned to Blackhorse Manor to prepare for their slumber.

The elders were afraid for their lives. They just didn't want to suffer from broken hands, remembering Damian's rage from the last meeting. So the best thing for them to do was honor their leaders' wishes to prevent bodily harm from occurring. "How are we doing this?" Elder Martin asked his fellow elders. "I say we ask them to come to City Hall and answer a few questions about what they think of the Sacrifices. That will prove whether they are worthy or not of our leaders. Meeting adjourned." They parted ways and went in the direction of their homes to retire for the night.


	19. Strange Feelings, pt 1: Anastasia

Chapter 17- Strange Feelings, pt. 1: Anastasia

It was still dark when Anastasia woke from her sleep with a start. "Ugh," she groaned. "What time is it? Oh, wait a second...I have all this week off...ugh." She fell back to sleep, then woke up again. "Wait—something doesn't feel right here. What's that?" She glanced at a strange object poking out beneath her pillow. "A rose? What in the hell is going on here?"

_Ah, my darling Ana,_ Damian sighed as he dreamed about Anastasia. He was in the deepest of sleep in the master bedroom, but was still able to sense Anastasia's reaction to the parting gift he left. _I see you have found my gift. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed giving it to you. I am coming for you soon—and when I have you, you won't resist me._ He slowly opened his eyes, which glowed red—a sign that he was being lustful and completely horny—and let out another sigh. Stroking his chin, he smiled in the darkness. "Dear sweet Ana," he murmured to himself. "I can't wait till I can have you the day of the Sacrifice. Then I can have a taste of what I was holding back on for so long." He then began to stroke the ever-hardening erection he was struggling to keep under control. "I wonder how good she is at sucking a man—in this case, demon—off. Maybe I should make her take this demon cock and see how she handles it." He let out an evil laugh and went back to sleep, then jumped up with a start.

"I wonder what would happen if I paid her a visit right now and have her test her skills?" he thought. With that, he transformed into smoke and drifted towards Anastasia's apartment.

"I don't get it," Anastasia murmured. "How did this get in here? I don't remember leaving any windows open." She shrugged. "Maybe I am going nuts." Anastasia's mind was still engrossed in the mysterious way her beautiful, but strange gift arrived under her pillow—she didn't see the next strange thing to happen following her discovery. Suddenly the windows blew open, letting in a dark trail of smoke. The windows shut themselves as the smoke materialized into human form and the curtains closed, darkening the room. All Anastasia could see in the darkness were two glowing red eyes staring at her—this was also the last thing she saw before she let out an ear-piercing scream and passed out. The strange figure caught her before she went crashing to the ground, and carried her, bridal style, over to her bed.

When she came to, Anastasia found herself on her bed. A voice cut into her thoughts. "My darling, you're awake." Two strong arms wrapped around her as she prepared to scream again. "No," the voice continued. "No more of that. Wouldn't want you to ruin that pretty voice of yours now, would we?" Anastasia shook her head. "No," she said, shaking uncontrollably. "We wouldn't want that." She tried to turn around to face the intruder, but he kept turning her back around. "Who are you? Why won't you let me see your face?" she asked, clearly out of her mind with fright. The intruder let out a laugh. "Not yet, darling," he said, a smirk on his face. "You need to earn that privilege." Anastasia was confused. "Earn it? Are you freaking kidding me? NO way, buddy. Not on your life," she snapped.

"You might want to take that back, little one. You're really in no mood to fight anyone right now," the figure said.

"Oh, do I? I really don't fucking think so, asshole. Earn the privilege of seeing your ugly face? Yeah, right," Anastasia said, trying to get out of the intruder's grip. "Let me go!"

"Not on YOUR life, little one. I will show you who I am...and let you be the judge of how ugly my face is." With that being said, the intruder waved one of the curtains open. The moon was still shining as the curtain opened. The intruder then turned to face Anastasia, his tattoos glistening in the moonlight. Anastasia looked up and gasped.

"OH MY GOD...Lord Damian?!" she asked, again clearly freaked out of her mind.

"It is the one and only," he replied. "And you, Miss Ana, needs to be punished for being so insolent."

"I am not sorry for my insolence, Lord Damian. Not at all. What the fuck gives you the right to enter my home and do this?" she yelled.

"Listen, little one. You might want to be mad, but do I give a shit? Hell fucking no. I do what I want," he retorted, his eyes glowing crimson. "And what I want, dear Ana, is YOU."

Anastasia was shocked at the last statement. "Why me?" she asked.

"Because the Sacrifice is near, and my fellow Nightwalkers, as well as I, need mates," he said. "And we decided you and your friends were perfect for us. So, we had a talk with the elders, and they also decided that you were to be offered to us the night of the Sacrifice. You have no choice in the matter—and if you try to resist, there will be hell to pay," he said as he reached to stroke her hair. "You wouldn't want to die unexpectedly now, would you?" he asked.

"No, my lord," Anastasia replied. She was tough, but to stand up against anything the Nightwalkers believed in was instant grounds for death. "I don't want an unexpected death. Please don't kill me."

"Kill you? No way," Damian said, a smile on his face. "I'd rather do this instead." He growled as he continued to stroke her hair, then lay her back down on the bed. He ripped off her clothes as he began to gently kiss her. Spreading her legs apart, he climbed between them and slowly ran his hands all over her body, pausing to breathe in the sweet scent of strawberries on her skin. "You smell wonderful," he murmured as he continued to kiss her. "Beg for me, darling," he whispered as his fingers traveled to her core. He slipped a finger inside her as he continued to growl. "Ooh," Anastasia began to moan. "Lord Damian, please." Damian looked into her eyes. "Please, what?" he asked. "Please don't stop," she moaned. "As you wish, my queen. I want you to watch as I enter you," he replied as his eyes turned dark red. With one quick push, he roughly entered her, nearly knocking the wind out of her.

"How is that, my queen?" he asked her, an evil smile creeping across his face. "How shall I take you, my darling?"

"Mmm, more, please. Don't stop, please don't. Fuck me like the animal I have heard you are," she cried. "I beg you."

"As you wish. One monster fucking you—like there is no tomorrow—coming right up," he growled as he quickened his thrusts. He then flipped her over, and drove himself inside her backside. "Moan for me again, Ana. It's like music to my ears." Anastasia did as she was told, and let out a few loud moans of pleasure in the process. "Good girl," Damian whispered in her ear. "My God, you're so wet. I love that," he sighed, pulling out of her. He dipped his tongue inside her core, his tongue like fire as he lapped up her juices. "So good," he growled. "I want more, but I will save that for the night of the Sacrifice."

After a while, Damian rolled off of Anastasia, who had again passed out, and lay beside her. "I will be a lot rougher with you. I'm not called an animal for nothing, my pet," he said as he resumed stroking her hair. "You're mine now."

_I can't wait till the night of the Sacrifice. I will fuck you like no man has ever done. You'll be screaming my name over and over as I do things you've never imagined to you. You'll be calling me Big Daddy by the time the nights we make love are over._

Damian let out an evil laugh as he continued to watch Anastasia's sleeping form. "You'll have my mark on your hot body the night of the Sacrifice. I guarantee that."


	20. Strange Feelings, pt 2: Ayla

Chapter 18- Strange Feelings, pt. 2: Ayla

_Don't cry, sweet Ayla. I will make sure you never shed a tear again. I want you to be happy, even if I have to kill to do so._

Hunter made the trip back to Ayla's house, just in time to see that his mate to be was still fast asleep. "Ah, my sweet. I see you are still in your own dreamland," he said to himself. Taking a seat at the foot of the bed, he waved his hand over her and chanted another of the old world charms he used to study his victims' dreams:

_Sleep peacefully, sweet one_

_As I weave this spell_

_Let me see all that I want to see_

_By fire and earth_

_Show me everything I need to see_

_So let it be!_

The charm proved to be working—soon, Hunter was able to see all he wanted to see about Ayla that he didn't already know. But he knew one thing: she was to be his mate come the night of the Sacrifice—and she had no choice in the matter.

_I feel as if I want you already_, he murmured. _And I haven't even tested you out yet. _Reaching to touch her face, Hunter fought back the urge to rip Ayla's clothes off her sleeping form, doing so by getting up and walking over to the window. "No," he scolded himself. "Not yet, unless you want to scare her." Just as he was thinking about doing all sorts of things to Ayla, she began to stir. "Wha-who's there?" she asked as she shook with a mixture of shock and surprise. "I know someone is there. Show yourself." Hunter stepped into view. Ayla gasped with fear when she saw who it was—and recognized the tattoos on his back and arms.

"Lord Hunter?! By the gods, what the hell are you doing in my house?!"

Hunter was angered by her questions. "You do realize I am one of the leaders of this city, do you not? How dare you show such ignorance to me. Do you know what I do to ignorant women?"

Ayla was still angry at the intrusion. "Fuck no," she flatly told him. "And I don't care to either. Get the fuck out of my house, before I make you get out."

"Hah!" Hunter laughed at the display of strength Ayla threw at him. "I knew there was something I liked about you. You're absolutely spicy—I love that. What else ya got?" he asked as he turned to face her, his eyes glowing black. "N-nothing, my lord," she stammered, sinking to her knees in shame. "I am sorry—I meant nothing by my actions." Hunter smirked at her, clearly angered by her behavior. "I don't think you're completely sorry, my sweet," he hissed. "I think that you need a time out for mouthing off to me. You need some discipline—come here." At once, Ayla felt herself moving towards Hunter. "Strip for me, my pet," he ordered. Ayla slowly began to remove her clothes for him. Pulling her close to him, he sniffed out her emotions—a talent he never used unless he found it fit to do so.

"You're afraid of me, are you not?" he asked her.

"Yes, my lord," Ayla answered him, "I am afraid of you. I am sorry for my behavior. Please don't kill me. I beg you." Hunter laughed at the remark. "Kill you? Why would I want to destroy something so beautiful such as you? No, I want to have some fun with you is all," he responded. "Now lie on your back when you get back on that nice soft bed of yours," he demanded. "I want to test your senses right now." Ayla obeyed and was instantly rewarded by Hunter crawling towards her, a sick smile on his face.

"You're a bad girl, Ayla. What shall I do to you to punish you?"

"Whatever you wish, my lord," Ayla replied. "Whatever you wish."

Hunter laughed at how well Ayla was behaving. "You're being good now, but I haven't forgotten your punishment," he told her. Raising her legs over her head, he ran his tongue down each of her thighs. "This is just the beginning, my sweet. You're in for a long night with me, especially because you were ever so rude to me. Trust me, there _will_ be lots of pain."

"What are you going to do?" Ayla asked, her voice quaking with fear.

"Aww, are you scared?" Hunter asked. "Good," he snarled, a glint of silver in his black eyes. "You should be." He flipped her onto her stomach, lifted up her legs a bit, and drove himself inside her. "Scream for me, baby," he growled in her ear as he began thrusting in and out of her. "That's it. Keep doing that—I love it," he hissed. Ayla's screams of pain quenched Hunter's undying thirst for punishment. "Now tell me," he continued. "Does it hurt? Each time you say yes, it'll get harder. You say no, and I will stop—if I feel like it. But I may NOT stop—you were very, very bad. And I have no choice but to discipline you the way I know how—by punishing you." His thrusts became harder and faster as he slammed into her. "Well?" he hissed. "Tell me if I'm killing you yet, my pet. Tell me that I'm hurting you. I want to hear it." Hunter became more and more infuriated with her silence. "Okay, my God, it hurts. Please, Lord Hunter, stop—for the love of God, please stop," Ayla cried, tears falling on her cheeks. "I admit I was rude. It was wrong. I am sorry." Hunter pondered her apology for a bit, then gave his answer. "Hell no," he growled. "You're not getting off that easy," he replied, slamming into her even more. "I'm still going to punish you. Take it like a condemned man would and deal with it." Evil laughter ripped from his lips as he continued to pull at her hair and ram her with his raging hard-on.

The night continued to ring with Ayla's screams and Hunter's animal-like growls as it passed.

Hunter finally decided to pull out of Ayla, and as he did, he noticed that she was bleeding—caused by his endless penetration inside her—this also caused her to pass out from the pressure. "My poor little pet," he quietly said to her, "I hate to have done this, but you were so stubborn, and I hate stubbornness. If you had listened to me instead of insulting me, that wouldn't have happened." He stroked her cheek as she lay motionless beside him.

_I'll be damned if I have a woman, especially my mate, tell me what to do. She had better learn her place before the Sacrifice, or I'll surely make it hard for her that night._


	21. Strange Feelings, pt 3: Eve

Chapter 19- Strange Feelings, pt. 3:Eve

_Darling Eve, I will have you. You're too delicate to resist my charms._

Xavier watched at Eve through his scrying mirror. _She looks so peaceful, as always, _he thought as he sat in his room. "I think I'll pay her a visit," he said as he cleared the mirror of his past viewings. "It's still dark, and she'll still be asleep." He transformed into black smoke, and made his way over to Eve's apartment.

Eve was sleeping soundly when Xavier arrived at the apartment. He slowly drifted into her room without a sound. Once he materialized, he stood in front of her and stared. "God, she's more beautiful when she is asleep. I think I want to see what she is dreaming about." Rubbing his hands together, Xavier knelt beside her and placed his hands on her wrists. He decided to use an old charm he used on potential mates back in the old days to visit Eve's dreams, which went like this:

_By wind, fire, thunder, and ice_

_Let me use this as my vice_

_To see what may be_

_For my mate to be_

_As night continues to fall_

_Let it be!_

Xavier closed his eyes as he repeated the charm two more times, then opened them and released her wrists. "My sweet darling," he whispered, "I will treat you like a queen when I get you—I promise you that. But cross me and I will hurt you—trust me, that is something I don't want to do to a delicate rose such as yourself." He then ventured out to the kitchen, where he found Cassie, Eve's roommate. He hid in a corner as he watched her. _So hungry,_ he thought. _And she looks delicious enough to eat right now._ "No," he said to himself. "She is your mate to be's roommate. It's not right." _Oh, fuck it. I need to eat—and I need to eat now,_ he hissed. He emerged from his corner and quietly walked behind Cassie, who was in her own little world as she fixed herself something to eat. Clouding her mind, Xavier ran a hand down her arms. "Mmm," he murmured, a wicked smile on his face. "You must be the roommate." He sniffed at her skin as his fangs began to lengthen. "Delicious enough to eat—what a pity you're going to be my meal tonight," he said, his eyes glowing black. Letting out a growl, he sank his fangs into Cassie's neck, sinking to his knees with her onto the floor. Laying her down, he continued to feed upon her without stopping, until she was completely drained. "That was delicious," he said to himself as he wiped his mouth clean, and decided to take Eve the snack that Cassie had been fixing. Disposing of the dead girl's body by burning it outside the apartment, he made his way back to Eve's room.

"Cassie? Is that you?" Eve called. There was no answer, which made her nervous. She opened the door to her room—only to find a pair of glowing black eyes looking into her green ones. "Aaaaaaaaaaah!!" she screamed as she backed up and made a beeline for her bed. Evil laughter rang through the room. "Poor little Eve," the intruder said, a smirk on his face. "Afraid of all things that go bump in the night. How's this for a bump?" he asked as he waved his hand in the air. At once, a bolt of lightning hit the ground outside the apartment, shaking it as it hit its target. Eve began screaming, and soon passed out.

When she came to, Eve found herself tied spread eagle on her bed. "Oh my God," she cried. "What is going on here? Who are you and why are you doing this?" The intruder let out a laugh. "Tut, tut, tut...poor little Eve...all alone—I wonder if you even want to know where Cassie is, no?" he asked. "What did you do to her?" she shrieked. "If you hurt her, I'll-I'll..." Another laugh came from the intruder's lips. "You'll do what? I thought so—NOTHING. The only thing you'll do right now is submit to me as I have you right where I want you—helpless, frightened, and alone. You want to know what I did to her? I had her as my evening meal. And she was delicious," he added, licking his lips.

"Show yourself!" Eve cried. "This isn't funny, and you're frightening me. Please!"

"But what if I don't want to show my face?" he shot back.

Eve was in tears. "I am afraid of everything, and my roommate is dead. At least let me see who killed her." For a moment, Xavier was touched by this show of emotion, and materialized in front of the crying girl. "Lord Xavier?" she asked, still in tears.

"The one and only." An evil smile was plastered on his face as he spoke.

"Why would you do this?" Eve asked. "She was my freaking roommate, and you killed her. You bastard!" She struggled to break free of the cords that bound her to the bed.

"You're a fine one to talk." Gone from Xavier's face was the gentle visage he used to fool his victims, and instead the face of a violent and deadly monster appeared. "You forget that I'm one of the leaders of this city. Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?" he spat at her.

"I'm Eve Kansperi, and this is my apartment, for your information. And I would like for you to leave. Now," Eve said, her voice shaking with fear.

"I don't think that would be happening, desert rose, for you see, I have plans for us this evening." Xavier slid his hand between her legs. "Shh," he commanded. "You don't want me to get angry now, do you? Because when I get angry, it's not a pretty sight. And I don't want to have to hurt my mate, because that wouldn't be very pretty." Eve held her tongue as he gently slid a finger inside her. "You have virgin marked all over you. I can smell it. That is good, because I have a taste for the blood of virgins. Yours will probably be sweet, and I can't wait to taste it either. But first, I need to stretch you out a bit." He slid another finger inside her. Eve began to whimper as the second finger worked its way into her core. "Quiet, darling. I promise not to hurt you." Xavier planted kisses on her neck while trying to comfort her. "Please," she cried. "It hurts so bad." Her eyes were wide with fear as he worked her body to his liking. "Shh," he whispered. "It'll stop hurting in a bit. I promise. My God, you're so tight. But wetter than the Atlantic Ocean. Damn, I have quite a lot to work with here, and I like it."

Eve was shocked and confused at the same time. "What do you mean by your _mate_?" she asked, her voice still shaky with fear.

"It means," Xavier answered as he continued to stretch her core with his fingers, "that you are to be mine come the Sacrifice. Damian, Hunter, and myself want mates this coming ritual. I chose you to be my mate, while the other two chose your friends as theirs. Ana will be with Damian, and Ayla will be with Hunter. And there is NO way out of it, so don't even think about it."

Eve pondered the thought for a moment. "There's no way out at all?" she asked.

Xavier shook his head. "Nope, unless you want to suffer an instant death. And Eve, my desert rose, you are far too delicate to suffer that way."

"I understand."

"Now," Xavier murmured. "I think you're ready to be tasted. I'll be careful, because you're still tender. As time nears for the Sacrifice, we'll work up to me tasting more. Right now, I want to taste that juicy pussy of yours. And don't fight me, because you won't win either." He lowered himself onto her and sank his head between her legs. He began to lick at her core, slowly at first, then faster when he felt her relax beneath him. "Mmm, baby," he growled. "You taste wonderful. Why have you never been with a man before? No problem...I'll be changing that come the Sacrifice," he whispered to her. "And trust me, you're going to love having me between your legs, and inside you when you're ready." Eve moaned her response. "Yes," she cried as his tongue went deeper inside her. "I will love every minute of it."

_I am glad to hear that, because every single night will be filled with your screams, and my tongue between those legs of yours will make you wetter than any ocean. I can't wait to do all the things I want to come the Sacrifice._


	22. A Nightwalker's Healing Hands

Chapter 20- A Nightwalker's Healing Hands

Hunter was still lying in bed beside Ayla. He looked down at her as he stroked her cheek and licked the dried blood clean from the bruises he inflicted on her body.

_Maybe I was too hard on her_, he thought. _I should have been a bit more lenient. But she was so stubborn...I wonder if Damian's soon to be mate was the same way with him when he showed himself to her. _

Sighing deeply, he picked himself up and carefully laid Ayla back down on the bed. "My poor little pet," he quietly said to her, kissing her forehead. "My sincerest of all apologies to you, sweet Ayla," he continued. "I need to make this up to you." Walking into the large bathroom, he turned on the lights and found a container of bath salts in a closet. "Hm, these will work," he murmured. "Now what to mix these with? Maybe some vervain, and some red sandalwood powder to soothe her and ease the pain. Sure, it's going to look like what these mortals call...a hot mess, but it should work." He flashed one bag each of the red sandalwood powder and the dried vervain to him and set to work preparing the bath.

Ayla began to stir. She saw the light on in the bathroom—and began to panic. "Lord Hunter?" she called.

"In here, darling," he responded. "I'm fixing a surprise for you—to heal you from that punishment I gave you. You have been disciplined enough. And I apologize—it isn't in my nature to hurt my mate either."

Ayla was confused. "Wait, what—what did you say? Your mate?" she asked, surprised by the statement.

Hunter came back from the bathroom just in time to answer her question. "Yes, my mate. Damian, Xavier, and I wanted mates this Sacrifice. So the elders met with Damian to make certain that you and your friends were to be offered to us. And you, my pet, are more than perfect for me. That body, those legs...mmm, God, you're making me so horny right now. But, first things first, Ayla. Let me get you into the bath so that your healing a la Nightwalker can begin. Then I will show you how sorry I really feel right now—it's just that you angered me so much, I felt I had to do more than punish you." He carefully lifted Ayla off the bed and carried her into the bathroom, where he had done more than surprise her. He had drawn a bath with the salts and herbs, lit some candles, and burned some vanilla and cinnamon incense to scent the air. He carefully placed her in the tub, and began to wash her body as he chanted the words to a spell that would speed up the healing process.

Ayla was shocked. "My lord—or love, I should say," she began, "You did all this? For me? Why?" Hunter looked at her, a smile on her face. "Because I was horrible to you," he said. "I don't hurt my mates. I was angry because I hate stubbornness with a passion—why do you think I dealt with Robert Trice? Because he was stubborn and stood for his beliefs, which included getting rid of Damian—that was something I had to put my foot down for. But you're different. You were angry that I was in your house—and you wanted me gone. But I didn't leave, because I felt I had to deal with you right then and there." He proceeded to wash her hair, softly nibbling her neck as he worked. "You're beautiful, Ayla," he said as he continued to nibble at her. "You're beautiful, Ayla," he said as he continued to nibble at her. "I should never get so upset with someone like you." Ayla reached out to rub his head. "No, my love," she said. "It was my fault—I know better than to disrespect my city's leaders, especially the one who likes to punish with his hands—I pray I don't cross you again." Hunter growled softly as her hand ran through his hair and down to his neck. "Mmm," he groaned. "Your hands are like magic. Please continue doing that." Ayla proceeded on rubbing his neck. "Maybe," she said to him as she straightened herself in the tub. "How about I give you a nice massage before you make things up to me?" That got Hunter thinking for a moment. "Deal," he said. "Now let's get you out of that tub. Your wounds are healing quite nicely, but there's a bit more to do."

Ayla managed to get herself out of the tub with Hunter's help. The pain from the wounds was slowly dying, and she was able to move without wincing in pain. Hunter dried her off (without fighting the urge to touch her), then cast another charm to completely take away the pain. "How do you feel now?" he asked her. "I feel much better, thanks to you, darling," she said. Hunter smiled as he ran his hands through his hair. "I try," was all he said before he sank to his knees and took her hand. "What are you up to?" Ayla asked, a shocked expression on her face. "I want to do something extremely special for you, lover," he replied as he kissed her hand. "I want to do something that I am sure no man ever did for you. Would you like that?" Ayla looked at him. "Yes, I would. What are you thinking of doing?"

Hunter looked into her eyes. "I think I would love to have that massage first, but I'm afraid you'd let me fall asleep and leave me there—so I'm going to do what I want to first." He laid her on the bed, stripped off his clothes, and climbed on top of her. From there he began to kiss her, using his tongue to trace a line from her neck to her chest, where he paused to play with her breasts. He occasionally sucked on each nipple for a while as he listened to her moans and cries of pleasure. "Oh, Hunter," Ayla moaned. "Don't stop, for the love of God, please don't stop." Hunter grinned as he watched her facial expressions. _Trust me, lover,_ he thought to himself as he continued to suck on her breasts. _I have no plans of stopping—not now or ever. _He let out a growl as she gripped his hair. He then moved down, still tracing a line, this time down to her navel and finally to her core. His tongue dipped into the sacred spot, lashing at her walls and not missing a beat. "Oh, God, you taste good," he growled. "I want more—but like Damian, I will save that for the night of the Sacrifice." Ayla continued moaning as he growled. "Please," she begged. "Take me like you did before—just not too hard." Hunter's eyes changed from black to red as he flipped her onto her stomach and gently slammed into her. "I hope I'm not being too rough on that area again," he murmured as he patted her backside. "No," Ayla whispered back. "This is just fine. Don't worry—I will let you know if I'm in any kind of pain." This went on for a while longer, then Ayla gave him the massage she promised him. "Ahhh," he groaned. "That feels amazing, and I wasn't lying when I said your hands were like magic."

They soon fell asleep, his arms wrapped around her, and his nose buried in her neck.

_I am never going to hurt her again. Ever._


	23. A Meeting Between Nightwalkers

Chapter 21- A Meeting Between Nightwalkers

Morning had set in over the District of Columbia, and the Nightwalkers had retreated back to the Manor to rest—they would go back later that night to visit their mates to be. The three monsters sat in the study, gulping down pints of blood as if it were going out of style, and discussing their encounters with Ana, Eve, and Ayla.

"So," Damian said to Hunter and Xavier. "What do you two think about your choices?" Hunter spoke first. "That Ayla is a bit of a firecracker, but you know I like those spicy types. I regret punishing her that badly for her being insolent with me, but she deserved it. Also, Damian, she took it like she should and dealt with her punishment. You tell me how many women would do that—I wonder if yours would do the same."

Damian pondered the thought. "Well," he began. "She did submit to me when I tasted her—women know not to resist me—especially when I'm extremely horny. Ana is amazing...I never met a woman who was super independent and did things her way. God, that's making me really horny right now. What about you, X?"

Xavier sat thinking for a while, and hadn't heard Damian ask him about Eve. "X? Earth to X...damn, dude," Hunter said. "What the fuck is up with you? Dame's been asking about your delicate flower, and you're daydreaming—I bet it's about her. Am I right? Am I?" Xavier shook his head. "Goddamn," he said. "Eve is beautiful. She's more than beautiful—she is like a flower that needs time to be cultivated. She is afraid of everything, and I think I took it too far as well, especially when I had her roommate for a meal."

Hunter was shocked. "What? You did what?" he asked, a sly smile on his face.

Damian was even more shocked. "You killed her roommate? Well, I'll be freaking damned. Wow, I can't believe you did that. Was she good?" he asked, a grin forming on his face.

Xavier laughed. "She was delicious. I brought samples, don't worry." He flashed two flasks to him and handed them to Hunter and Damian. "Enjoy. Poor Cassie," he said. "I was so hungry, and I know we didn't want to drink from the girls until the Transformation ritual—so I had her roommate instead. She was good to the last drop. And her blood fueled my rage to go frighten Eve a bit...it worked, because my desert rose was afraid. And I was there to comfort her—after I scared her."

The three Nightwalkers sat some more in the study, then decided to go to their rooms to sleep until nightfall. "Till tonight, boys," Damian said. "We'll meet again here, then go talk to the elders again about the Sacrifice." Something was definitely bothering them, so they decided to sit until they formulated a solution to the issue.

Hunter suddenly had an idea. "I just thought of this," he said. "But what if we kidnap the girls before the Sacrifice—and give the elders another test of loyalty?" Damian and Xavier looked at him. "Are you sure?" they asked him. "Positive. And we can have a few of the elders for dinner as well. I have been doing some investigating, and I have been a bit suspicious of Elders Anthony, Marcus, and Theodore—they seem to not like the way we're running things, and they feel the need to be rid of us. I say they get made examples of the next time we call a meeting at City Hall—or even better—the night of the Sacrifice." Damian gave his answer. "I think that is the best idea right now. I have also seen that there seems to be some unrest among the elders. This is a good way to settle that." Xavier agreed with his fellow Nightwalkers. "Smashing idea, boys," he said, his eyes turning black. "I've wanted to shed some more blood anyway."

The trio finally decided to part ways and head back to their rooms. "Till tonight," they said as they drifted off to sleep.


	24. Hidden Talents

Chapter 22- Hidden Talents

Damian, Xavier, and Hunter were known to be elusive creatures of the night. But what their subjects didn't know about were the powers their leaders possessed. They mainly practiced the dark arts, but had some of the same powers, such as being able to see into their victims' dreams, teleportation, telepathy, telekinesis, and shapeshifting, but Damian was the only one out of the three who had a bit more power added to his forte. They also had immense psychic abilities, which allowed them to manipulate people when they wanted and/or needed something.

**Damian: The Dark Dreamweaver**

Damian had a laundry list of powers that anyone was lucky to know about. Besides the aforementioned powers, he had the power to kill someone from the inside out by way of self-combustion. He was also able to kill (or injure) someone, weirdly enough, by just looking at them. Killing his victims in their dreams was the icing on the cake, so to say.

These were some pretty frightening ways to die, don't you think?

Another power Damian was capable of was the power of invisibility. He could make himself invisible and cause all sorts of problems for his victims, especially by knocking things down—this would confuse the hell out of the unlucky soul—and if that person were not careful, whatever was in Damian's reach while he was invisible, whether it be a piece of china or a sharp knife—could be used as a weapon, and that person would be long dead before anyone came to help them or see what was going on.

Maybe this is what happened to all those enemy camps in Ancient Rome...

As for seeing into the dreams of his victims, Damian was able to feed off his victims' fears, which caused them to have the most horrifying and/or deadliest of nightmares. Damian used what he found out to his advantage to weave the fabric of these nightmares into the patterns he used to formulate his "nightmarescapes," which were images he placed in the minds of his victims. These images were the main ingredient in the creation of deadly nightmares, which could do one of two things: 1) frighten a person to the point where they were afraid to sleep at night, or 2) literally frighten a person as they slept, to the point where they died in their sleep. Damian usually chose the second way to distribute his nightmarescapes, which was to have the victim die in their sleep. He preferred a clean death, compared to the mess he made when he made it so bad for one to sleep at night, even though he enjoyed scaring the holy hell out of someone.

What was even worse was when the poor soul Damian would attack began to suffer from insomnia. He was usually hungry when he began messing with people's dreams, and so when the unlucky victim suddenly decided to take a stroll to clear their head, the elder Nightwalker would be on the trail and ready to attack, striking without warning. The last thing the victim saw was themselves on the ground, and Damian looming over them with his fangs bared and eyes glowing black.

If the victim were a woman, he would prey on them for a while and then do the most unimaginable of things to them before he made a meal out of them.

Damian Zinesdiet was definitely NOT someone to mess with if you wanted to live a happy life.

In fact, you wouldn't have your life for much longer if you messed with ANY of the Nightwalkers.

If someone crossed his path and angered him in the process, that person needed to have a LOT of luck to get by, because the first thing on Damian's mind was instant death. In fact, he was so cruel that he would just create a nightmarescape for the person who got in his way. Depending on his mood, the nightmarescape could just plain kill someone or cause them bodily harm.

Or he would personally damage a person with his bare hands.

Killing victims in their sleep was relaxing for Damian, especially if he did the job manually. The thrill of this kind of kill came when he would drift into a victim's home in the middle of the night and strangled them as they lay sleeping. Most times, after strangling his victims, he would make a meal of their blood in order to regain his strength. This was done almost all the time, since the task of killing someone mentally took a toll on him.

The self-combustion thing was in a class of its own. Damian liked the smell of burning flesh, so he took pride in internally cooking his victims by way of self-combustion. All he had to do was use the tips of his fingers to start the chain reaction that would begin the process. This was a fast way to kill someone, even though it was an extremely painful way to go.

Maybe this was another way the Nightwalkers dealt with enemies...

Damian was definitely not called "The Dark Dreamweaver" for nothing, because the dreams he brought along were horrific—you were lucky if you did live throughout the night.

**Hunter: The Dark Punisher**

Hunter had always been the maniacal one of the bunch. He liked showing off his power in a number of ways, especially when it came to torturing victims. He also enjoyed punishing victims, especially with his hands. Someone would occasionally piss him off, and to show how angry he was, Hunter would break a body part as punishment for disrespecting him. Many a time came when Hunter felt that punishment was the only way to gain respect.

In other words, you had to be afraid to not do anything bad to gain Hunter's respect. Or else it would be a very painful experience.

One talent of Hunter's were his powers of seduction. He would hide in the darkest of places no one would ever think to look into and quietly prey on innocent women. One look into his icy blue eyes, and women swooned over him.

Damian and Xavier were never left out of the loop, and there was always a woman for them both each time he went hunting.

This was exactly how the group sacrifices went on in Ancient Rome. There were always one woman for each of them, especially when it came to the women serving as a food source.

Going back to his ways of punishing people, Hunter was given the nickname "The Dark Punisher" for a reason, and for one reason only. He punished those who found him to be too domineering and harsh. He liked being harsh, and that was how he was going to stay.

Hunter also liked to give people a scare—this was why he usually was the one to help Damian with his nightmarescapes. He provided the scenarios Damian used to frighten his victims in exchange for the right to break more bones when necessary.

In fact, it was his idea that Damian use his power to "dreamkill," as he called the elder Nightwalker's way of destroying victims. Hunter reveled in seeing the deaths of innocent people, and encouraged Damian to be unusually cruel with how he created his nightmarescapes. No matter what, the results were about the same: someone died, or someone got hurt.

**Xavier: The Dark Deceiver**

Xavier was the innocent one of the bunch.

Yeah, right.

Xavier looked innocent, but in all reality, he wasn't innocent—it was all a ploy to fool innocent victims into thinking that he wasn't like Damian and Hunter.

Too bad he was like them. Xavier was extremely dangerous when he put on his "innocent" face with his victims. They believed that he wouldn't hurt them, but once his eyes flashed black, it was on. There was no chance of surviving an encounter with him—and if there was a shot, expect to be stalked for the rest of your life.

Xavier's innocent charade was enough to send anyone to their doom.

And it did. There was no remorse at all from the so-called "Dark Deceiver."

Why should there be? Xavier was a demonic being who cared about survival, not about mortals. And he needed to survive somehow.

All three Nightwalkers needed to survive.


	25. The Master Plan

Chapter 23- The Master Plan

Night came fast that evening at Blackhorse Manor.

Damian, Hunter, and Xavier woke feeling refreshed and ready for another night of feeding and spending "quality time" with Ana, Ayla, and Eve. But before that, they decided to work on the plans for the night of the Sacrifice. They met in the study just as they planned before they went to sleep that day.

"So," Damian said first. "We're in agreement that we're going to take the girls two days before Sacrifice Night, am I right?"

"Agreed," came Hunter's reply.

"Definitely, Dame," Xavier answered.

"Good." Damian smiled, elated with the plan that was soon to come into play. "I can't wait to dine on some Elder blood. It'll be a good night."

Hunter paced around the study. "I heard things...while I slept. The elders were pretty uneasy. Elders Martin and Kenneth were trying to keep peace. Elder Theodore definitely wants to be rid of us." His eyes glowed black as he spoke. "Can't blame Elder Kenneth, though. He always tries to keep the peace when something goes wrong. I never find a fault with either him or Martin, for that matter," he said, his eyes still glowing.

"Dude," Xavier snarled. "Chill out. We'll figure something out. Trust me."

"Exactly," Damian hissed, an evil smile on his face. Crossing his arms, he let out a growl of rage. "Fucking elders," he snarled. "I'll show them who's getting rid of who. They think they can get rid of me that easy? Hah! They've got another thing coming to them." He tossed a chair across the room, which shattered into bits as it hit a bookshelf.

"Atta boy, Dame," Xavier clapped his hands. "Better you than me on that one. But, back to the task at hand. What do we do about the elders who wish to get us gone?"

Hunter slammed his fist onto the table. "I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to take our women by force—and hide them here in the Manor—before the Sacrifice. Then, we're going to confront the elders who wish to betray us, ask them where the girls are—and kill them in front of the crowd at the Town Square when they say they haven't a clue as to where they've gone. And, finally, for the piece de la resistance, we start killing those who oppose our rule. Trust me, this will work, and anyone who dares try anything dumb will be dealt with—severely—by me." He flashed one of his favorite weapons—a machete—to him. "This is my weapon of choice, boys," he said. "I swear to all that is unholy that if I have to use this to maintain order, so let it be. I'm not playing with these fools anymore."

Damian and Xavier knew to just roll with things when Hunter was enraged, and so they tried to calm his nerves, which were slowly getting more and more frazzled by the second.

"Calm down, Hunter. You'll get your chance, trust me, you will," Damian said.

"Yeah, Hunt. I'll let you have the first kill. I don't mind feeding last anyway," Xavier reassured him.

Hunter began to calm down, but immediately became enraged again.

"Absolutely fucking amazing how people think they can slide right past me. I'll show them who's boss when I start cutting some of those elders down. Watch me."

Damian shoved a glass of sheep's blood in Hunter's face. "Drink that," he ordered. "And relax a little. Do you want Ayla to see you when you're enraged again? She might be more than afraid of your ass this time, compared to the last time. And you might do something a whole lot worse to her than the last time as well."

Hunter sipped at his glass. "The last thing I want to do to Ayla is kill her, so maybe you're right. I think I'll just take a breather. But it's just this shit with the elders that is making me this way."

Xavier smiled. "Atta boy. I think if you continued to get mad like that, she'd run away from you. And I know that would just make you angrier."

"It would, and it would also call for one huge punishment to be administered for her to do that."

Damian cleared his throat. "I think we'd better get back to the main thing here, and that is to plan how we're turning the Sacrifice around this year."

"Agreed," Xavier answered.

"Definitely," Hunter replied, his machete in hand.

"Put that down, Hunt, before you hurt yourself," Damian said, clearly agitated by the sight of the machete in the young Nightwalker's hand.

Hunter, who had been busy twirling the large knife around, looked up. "Oh, damn. Sorry, Dame, just trying to relax. I'll quit it."

Damian shook his head. "Now, where were we? Oh, yeah...how to deal with the Elders. Kill 'em all is what I think...but since three of them are at fault here, I say let the others live, and just kill the three that oppose us."

Xavier's eyes flashed blue. "Wait, I'm seeing something," he said. "The three condemned elders are having themselves a little conference right now. Once again, the topic is the Elders who see us unfit to rule, which would be Anthony, Marcus, and Theodore...apparently, they're the only ones who disagree with the way things are run. The others are fine with things, but as for them...well, they have issues."

"Issues, huh?" Damian scoffed. "What issues?"

"Our ruling system is ridiculous, we are too tyrannical, blah, blah, blah," Hunter growled, slamming his fist into a pile of books.

"Are they serious?!" Damian became outraged. "I'm putting a stop to that meeting, right NOW!" His eyes flashed black.

Hunter burst out laughing. "What a bunch of cocksuckers...they aren't going to know what hit them when we get through with them."

Xavier's eyes went back to their ocean blue state. "Okay, enough talk, more action," he said. "Let's get the girls, shall we? I feel like doing some very freaky things to my desert rose tonight."

"Why don't we kidnap them tonight and bring them here?" Hunter asked.

"Hm," Damian muttered under his breath. "Hell, why not? It's a great idea. And I want to tie Ana to my bed anyway."

They adjourned their meeting and went off to their mates' homes to kidnap them.

"We meet up at Ana's apartment. Then we head back here. Agreed?" Damian asked his fellow Nightwalkers.

"Definitely," Hunter said.

"No doubt, no doubt," Xavier replied.

"Okay, then," Damian said. "Move out, boys...let's have some fun tonight."


	26. Kidnapped, pt 1: Anastasia

Chapter 24- Kidnapped, pt. 1: Anastasia

_Ana...beautiful Ana._

_What joy you bring me when I need something to make me happy._

_Too bad I have to do this,_ Damian thought as he watched her as she showered for the evening. "She looks so peaceful," he said to himself. "I wonder how much peace she will be in when I take her this night." From his perch on a branch of the oak tree outside Anastasia's apartment, he took in the familiar scent of strawberries, this time mixed in with a hint of vanilla.

"Maybe I should join her," he murmured to himself. He transformed into smoke and let himself into her apartment. He materialized into human form once he entered her room. Quietly slipping into the bathroom, he found Anastasia humming to herself as she showered.

_Now, to join you,_ Damian thought. Without another thought, he climbed into the shower behind her.

Anastasia was so involved in her shower that she heard nothing—not even Damian getting in the shower behind her.

_Oh, Ana, I can't wait till I take you. Everything I'm planning will be complete when you're my mate—and I can't wait. But for now, I will enjoy this shower with you._

Damian watched as Anastasia's fingers brushed against her skin._ Now if she would rub her breasts—or something—I need something to get me off._ He felt his shaft growing hard by just watching her wash herself.

Anastasia's mind was still on her shower—until a hand brushed against her skin. Her breath caught in her throat as Damian whipped her around to face him.

"Damian? What the—?" she asked, quite surprised.

"My darling," he began. "I couldn't stay away. I had to come back—I needed another taste of your sexy body—and I've been craving that tight pussy of yours." He hungrily licked at her neck as he spoke. "Mmm," he purred. "Just as good as the last time." He ran his fingers across her lips. "Shh," he whispered. "Not another word. Let me show you how much I missed you." Anastasia held her tongue as Damian backed her against the shower wall. "Moan for me, angel," he said as his mouth settled on her left breast, sucking hard on it, while a hand rested on her right one, gently kneading the nipple between his fingers. "Ooh, God. Oh, Damian," she moaned. "Mmm, just like that. Oh, God, that's wonderful. Don't stop, for the love of God, please don't stop." Damian grunted as she continued to moan—for him, this meant to keep going, which he did. He released his mouth from the left breast and switched to her right, switching his hands as well. "Mmm." Anastasia's moans were making Damian go nuts, and he needed his sanity in order to take her out of her apartment.

The shower finally ended. Damian was even hornier than before, and tried his best to keep it to himself. He dried Anastasia off first, then dried himself off. Carrying her over to her bed, he gently laid her down before climbing on top of her. As he softly growled in her ear, he nuzzled her neck, still inhaling the scent of strawberries and vanilla on her skin. "My God," he grunted. "You smell so good. Wish I could just eat you up right now."

"Maybe you can, you naughty Nightwalker," Anastasia said, giggling hysterically.

"Me? Naughty? Never," Damian burst out laughing at Anastasia's remark.

"Yeah, right. You're not that innocent, bub," she retorted.

Damian let out a laugh. "That's it, you bad girl," he said. "I think you need to be punished."

"Are you going to kidnap me?" she asked.

"Fuck yeah. I think I deserve to. Don't you?" he asked, eyes glowing black.

"Uh oh. Maybe I should run now," Anastasia said, attempting to pull away from him.

The attempt was useless. Damian was about 15 times stronger and much more powerful than the average man, which wasn't helping Anastasia's case at all. He pulled her back into his arms with one tug of her wrists.

"I think not, darling," he said, eyes changing from black to dark red.

"Oh yeah? Try to stop me then."

"My pleasure," was all he said as she took off running, her towel still tied around her.

_Freeze, my angel. You're not going anywhere._

Anastasia froze in her tracks. She struggled to move her legs, but to no avail.

"It's no use, Ana. You're going to be my mate, no matter what. I won't stand for any of your insolence either, or you'll be severely punished," Damian growled.

"Why?" she cried, tears running down her cheeks.

"You're way too special to me," Damian answered her. "Also, I want to teach the Elders, especially Anthony, Marcus, and Theodore, a lesson. But first, I need to sate my appetite."

"Which one?" Anastasia asked, her voice shaky.

"You can guess which one," he said, tossing her back onto the bed. Spreading her legs apart, he positioned himself between them and let his tongue go to work on her core. "That should weaken you, my angel. Enjoy," he said, a smile of pure evil on his face.

Anastasia felt herself slowly weakening with each stroke of Damian's tongue. "That's it, angel," he purred. "Submit to me, and everything will be fine." He continued feasting on her, making sure his tongue hit all the right places.

"I do," was all Anastasia could say. She was quickly falling under his spell.

Damian let out a growl. "Perfect. My plan is working, and that is all I need to know. You can never resist me, angel. Remember that." He dressed Anastasia and himself, then cast a sleep spell on her.

_Sleep now, darling. When you wake, it will be Sacrifice Night, and I will do all the things I want to you. I will fuck you harder than any man would. You can bet on that._


	27. Kidnapped, pt 2: Ayla

A/N: Andromache is pronounced And-roh-ma-key...or so I see it is. I am a huge Greek mythology buff, and decided to throw in a character with the name.

Chapter 25- Kidnapped, pt. 2: Ayla

_Now, for the real fun to begin,_ Hunter thought as his smoky form drifted into Ayla's bedroom. _Time for me to go to work._

Ayla had been busying herself in the kitchen when a hand clamped around her mouth and the other hand gripped her wrists. Hunter then flung her over his shoulder and carried her to her bedroom, where he tossed her onto the bed.

"Hunter, what the hell are you doing?" Ayla shouted.

"Shut it, my sweet. I'm going to fuck you—hard. And you're going to like it." Hunter replied. "Then I'm kidnapping you."

"What?!" Ayla yelled as she began throwing punches at Hunter. "What the fuck are you talking about? There is no way that is going to happen!"

Hunter began laughing. "Yes, my sweet, it will. And you think these punches are hurting me?" he hissed, still laughing. "It's not," he hissed again, catching her wrists.

"Let me go!" she cried.

"Don't think so," Hunter snarled, pushing her onto the bed.

The next thing to happen was Hunter ripping both his and Ayla's clothes off. Then he began to nibble at her neck. "Oh, Hunter," Ayla moaned. "Please, please."

"Please, what?" he growled.

"Please don't stop. You monster, please don't stop," she moaned.

"Good girl. Now get on your stomach," he ordered. Ayla obeyed, receiving a sharp smack to her backside as a reward. "Very good," Hunter said. He yanked at her hair and licked her back as he gently slammed into her. "How's it feel?" he asked her.

"Very good," Ayla replied as Hunter gently sucked on her neck.

_Time for the real fun to begin,_ Hunter thought evilly.

"Good. Now we can have the other things occur," he whispered as his eyes flashed to red.

"What other things?" Ayla began to panic.

"This," Hunter growled. He began to quicken his thrusts, which began to frighten Ayla.

"Oh, no," she cried. "Not this—not again. For the love of God, no!" Hunter laughed at her cries. "Oh, yes, my sweet—this is perfect for you, for I love more than anything to cause pain as I give a woman what she wants," he growled, an evil smile on his face. He further quickened his pace, slamming extremely hard inside her. "No," Ayla wailed. "Stop this—immediately!" Hunter ignored her and continued to slam into her—he grew harder by the second and didn't want to end his tirade. He let out an inhuman laugh as he pounded even harder inside her.

He then got off the bed—with Ayla still attached to his shaft—and slammed her into a wall. "Scream for me, my sweet," he hissed. "It turns me on to hear a woman's screams as I fuck the shit out of her—so scream as loud as you can—it'll only arouse me more." Ayla responded to this by screaming as her backside became sore. "Oh," Hunter said, smirking at her. "You want me inside your pussy now, do you? I bet you're as tight there like your ass is. I'll gladly switch—and beat your pussy up in the process. Would you like that, sweet Ayla? Would you? Answer me, and answer me now—it'll only get harder if you don't."

"No!"

Hunter was severely pissed off to no end. He whipped Ayla around to face him and roughly inserted his shaft inside her core. "You've made me very angry, sweet," he hissed. "You know what I do when I'm angry."

"Bite me, fucker—and let me go in the process," Ayla hissed back, swinging her fist right into his jaw.

Hunter dropped her as he held his jaw. "Oh, so you want to play dirty, eh? Come here!" he bellowed.

Ayla took off running. Hunter smiled as she ran to hide from him.

_Oh, come now, sweet. You obviously forget who you're dealing with. I can smell you from a mile away. _

**Flashback: Ancient Rome**

"_Oh, my God," Andromache huffed as she ran from her assailant. "I hope he doesn't think he can catch me. He had better not—I hit him pretty hard—his jaw must be broken."_

_Just then, Hunter appeared in front of her. "Looking for someone, dear Andromache?"_

_Andromache's heart caught in her throat. "N-no," she stammered, attempting to back away from him._

_"Don't run, sweetheart," Hunter said to her. "It's not going to be useful to you, and it'll just make me angry."_

_"So what?" she asked. "I don't care. Keep away from me, or else..." she yelled._

_"Or else what, sweet Andromache? You'll kick my ass? I would love to see this," he taunted._

_"So would we," Damian said as he and Xavier suddenly appeared out of thin air. _

_Andromache's eyes widened at the sight of the two other Nightwalkers. This made her even more nervous._

_"I wouldn't run if I were you," Damian whispered as he grabbed her wrists. "She smells delicious, Hunt. Were you going to feed from her?" he asked._

_Hunter let out a growl. "As a matter of fact, I was. But she refuses to stay put."_

_Xavier grabbed Andromache by her throat. "Listen, and listen well, beautiful," he snarled, tightly squeezing her throat as he spoke. "Stay where you are. We won't hurt you...yet."_

_Hunter intervened. "X, let her loose. You're killing her before I get to feed."_

_Xavier let her go. "Spoil my fun, why don't you?" he hissed._

_"Enough!" Damian growled. "I want to see some blood being spilt, so just kill her already."_

_"My pleasure. Any last words, Andromache?" Hunter asked, his eyes flashing black._

_"Rot in hell, bastards," Andromache spat at him._

_"We already live there," Hunter hissed. "Goodbye, my sweet Andromache."_

_He snapped her neck and began to feed. Blood spilled everywhere it could land._

"Ayla," Hunter called. "Where are you, my sweet?" he hissed, clearly getting pissed off. "I can smell your fear, you know. And it smells wonderful."

Ayla hid in a closet closest to her front door. "Maybe he won't find me in here," she thought.

She thought wrong. Dead wrong.

_I know where you are, my sweet,_ he growled as his eyes went to that very closet. _And I'm coming to get you._

"Aha!" Hunter hissed as he flung the door open and dragged her out by her hair. "Thought you could get away, huh?"

"Yes, I did," Ayla answered. Hunter let a growl escape his throat.

"That's it...I have had enough of this." Flashing a vial containing a sleeping potion he used centuries before, an outraged Hunter threw it at her in disgust. "Sleep now, my sweet. I have plans for us come the night of the Sacrifice."

He disappeared into the night with her, heading in the direction of Anastasia's apartment.


	28. Kidnapped, pt 3: Eve

Chapter 26- Kidnapped, pt. 3: Eve

_This is going to be too easy,_ Xavier thought to himself while he watched Eve cleaning her room. _She'll never know what hit her._ He turned into smoke and drifted into the room.

Eve was so busy cleaning her room that she didn't notice him enter the room—until he brushed her neck with his hand.

"Hi, Xavier," she said, a smile on her face.

"Hey, yourself," he said, a sexy smile forming on his face. "How's my desert rose tonight?"

"Fine," she said. "You?"

"Wonderful, now that I'm seeing you," was all he could say as he swept Eve off her feet and carried her to the bed.

"What's gotten into you tonight?" she asked. "You're rather frisky."

"I just want to be with you tonight is all. More like, I needed a taste of you tonight," he said, gently rubbing her thigh. Pulling her closer to him, he took her chin in his hand and brushed his lips against hers.

"Mmm," she moaned. "My, my, my...you really do want something tonight, don't you?" she teased.

"Damn, baby," he growled. "Teasing me and making me horny at the same time...I like it," he said, eyes glowing red. With one wave of his hand, he had removed Eve's underwear, spread her legs apart, and begun licking at her core. "Mmm," he groaned. "God, you taste good. I can't control myself."

"All the better to please you with, my king," Eve smiled as she watched Xavier sating his appetite between her legs. She couldn't resist rubbing his head as his tongue moved in and out of her—this was exactly what he wanted, and he was getting harder by the second in his happiness.

_My God, look at her,_ he thought to himself. _She is enjoying every bit of this. I can hardly hold in my excitement,_ he continued to think as he continued to feast on her core. _Now I want those hardened nipples of hers in my mouth. _ He smiled at the last thought. _Maybe I can make that happen tonight._

"Mmm, Xavier," Eve moaned. "More, oh God, more," she cried out as his tongue flicked against her core. "You like that, don't you?" Xavier teased as he spread her legs further apart. He continued to flick his tongue around her sweet spot, growling softly as he listened to her moans, and as a reward, Eve's hands continued to rub his head. "Oh, yeah," he groaned. "I love when you do that. I want that to continue." His tongue delved deeper inside her, causing her to grind herself into his face.

After a while, Xavier removed his face from between Eve's legs. Licking his lips, he let out a growl. "You were delicious, but I want a whole lot more," he said to her, almost hypnotizing her as he spoke.

"What exactly are you getting at?" Eve asked him.

"Oh, nothing—except for this," Xavier murmured, unbuttoning her top. Once he removed it, he set to work on removing her the lacy light blue bra she wore underneath the shirt—which he removed with his teeth. That task being done, he pulled Eve closer to him, and began to suck on her breasts. "God," he managed to say between sucking, "you taste so good—I don't ever want to stop, but I'm going to have to—I would have to wait till the Sacrifice to do anything else to you." He continued sucking on her breasts as he spoke.

Eve looked into his eyes. "Why?" she asked.

Xavier sighed, his eyes returning to their blue color. "Because, you're still a virgin, and I don't want to deflower you just yet, desert rose," he replied. "Also, this is your kidnapping. I would run now if I were you." His eyes turned black as he said the last comment.

Eve began to scream as she took off running. She also decided to hide in Cassie's room, since Xavier wouldn't look in there for her. She immediately ran to the bathroom and hid, clearly afraid of what would happen next.

_Mmm, I smell the blood of a virgin—my virgin. I wonder where she went,_ Xavier sarcastically thought as he searched for Eve.

"Desert Rose, I wonder where you went," he growled. "I just want to play with you. That is all. Come out and let me play with that pussy of yours—matter of fact, let's just play a game—I won't bite, just yet at least." He smirked as he sniffed the air for her scent

Eve feared for her life as she hid in Cassie's bathroom. "Why me?" she thought, tears flowing down her cheeks. "And he killed my roommate—my best friend. Now what do I do? Do I just let him do this to me?"

_I still smell your blood, darling Eve, and it smells delicious. Can't wait to taste it,_ Xavier hissed as he searched for Eve. "You couldn't have gone very far."

Eve was beginning to get more and more afraid for her life. She continued to hide in her dead roommate's bathroom.

Xavier was slowly getting pissed off by the second. "Come out here, NOW!" he growled. "If you don't, things will get a whole lot worse, you hear me, Eve? Get out here, and let me finish what I started—or else."

Eve stayed where she was, terrified.

"I bet you went to hide in Cassie's room, huh? Xavier snarled. "I'll find you...and when I do, I'm going to do what I wanted to—no matter what." He now decided that he would no longer be gentle with her, and began to reminisce about what he did to virgins back in the old days.

He walked into the room, and quietly walked over to the bathroom.

_I know you're in there. I'm coming to get you,_ he thought. An evil laugh escaped his lips as he stood in front of the door.

**Flashback: Romania, 1876**

"_Oh, God, Xavier," the girl underneath him moaned. "You have a way of treating a girl." _

"_That I do," he whispered as he continued to fuck the girl senseless. "Tell me how you want it. Tell me what you want me to do to you."_

"_Fuck me like an animal. Take me over and over again. Please, I allow you to." This girl clearly wanted him to deflower her—the best way he could._

"_As you wish, my dear," he said, flipping her on her stomach. He drove into her, growling as he began to slam into her._

"_Ooh, that's wonderful. Don't stop, please don't stop," she cried as he reached for her hair._

"_I'm glad you're enjoying it, Cerise. I know I am as well," he groaned as he slammed into her, much harder than before. _

_Pity you're a virgin. Too bad you're going to be sore—and then you're not going to live to recover._

_He continued to slam into her, then pulled out. Whipping Cerise around to face him, he tossed her to the ground. Spreading her legs apart, he drove his tongue inside her, nearly knocking the wind out of her._

"_Is this how you wanted it, sweet Cerise?" he asked, his eyes flashing to black._

"_Yes," she moaned, eyes closed._

"_Good," he hissed, his tongue still making its way inside her. Then he did the unthinkable—and bit into her core. He listened for the sharp cries that were to soon escape from her lips._

"_You monster," she shrieked. "Why would you do that?!"_

_He never got to hear her last words. With one final bite, he drained her dry. Licking his lips, he tossed her into the local river and disappeared into the night._

Eve continued to stay in the bathroom, silently crying. She was crying so hard that she didn't notice him standing in front of her.

"Aww, poor, Eve," he whispered, seating himself next to her. "All I wanted to do was play with you," he said, reaching for her left breast. As he suckled on it, he whipped his extremely hardened shaft out of his pants and began stroking it.

"Touch it," he demanded.

"No," Eve replied. "I will not."

Again, Xavier was extremely pissed off. "I said touch it, Desert Rose—or else."

"No!" she screamed at him.

"Ugh—this is ridiculous," Xavier snarled. "Do you want to die, Eve? Do you want to be my next meal, just like Cassie?" he asked, eyes still black with rage.

"No," Eve whispered, as Xavier picked her up and led her back to her room.

"Good, I knew you would see it my way," he said, guiding her hand to his shaft. "Stroke it while I harden these nipples of yours—eventually you'll be giving me lots of head, and I want you to get adjusted to this large demon cock as soon as possible."

Eve, panicked out of her mind, obeyed his command and started pumping away at his shaft. "Oh, yeah," Xavier groaned. "Keep doing that. That's very good, my little flower. I'll have you trained soon enough. But we've got to go now."

"Go where?" she asked him. She was cut off by a sleeping charm he placed on her. "Calm down, love. Everything will be fine."

_Sleep now, sweetheart. I will explain everything later._

They disappeared in the direction of Anastasia's apartment.


	29. The Sacrifices, With A Twist

A/N: _Skase_ is the Greek swear word for "shut up." Figured to use it since Batista is ½ Greek, and it would be best to pay homage to him on something else besides his hometown.

Chapter 27- The Sacrifices, With A Twist

**May 18, 3120: The Night of the Sacrifice**

"I'm guessing tonight went well, eh, boys?" Damian asked when he, Hunter, and Xavier met up at Anastasia's apartment. "I didn't think this would be so damn easy," he murmured, Anastasia's sleeping form lying in his lap.

"Exactly. Everything went without a problem," Xavier said, holding a sleeping Eve in his arms while he stroked her hair.

"I did, however, have a bit of trouble with my firecracker. She wailed on me so bad I had to lose my cool a bit," Hunter added, a smile on his face as Ayla lay sleeping beside him.

"Ah, it looks like we've got our girls. Let's head to the Manor and prepare to get those bastard Elders out of the way," Damian said to them.

From Anastasia's apartment, they made their way to Blackhorse Manor. Once they settled in, they brought the girls to their rooms. "They'll be good here until we get done with the Elders," Hunter hissed.

"I think that is in order," Xavier replied, licking his lips. "The very thought of killing an Elder, much less three, is making me hungry. Let's get this over with, so I can feast on something else," he murmured.

Damian just shook his head. "You two are just ridiculous. Calm down, will you? We'll get to the Elders soon enough. Now go get some sleep. You'll be needing it for tonight," he chastised as he headed to his room.

Hunter yawned sleepily. "You're right," he said. "I do feel sleepy, and I can't wait to sleep next to her." He walked up the stairs to his room as well.

"Me either," Xavier said, following Hunter up the stairs and heading towards his own room.

The Nightwalkers had quite a nice sleep that night, especially because they were sleeping next to their mates to be.

_Mmm, so nice, _Damian thought as he pulled Anastasia closer to him as they lay in his bed sleeping. _This is so nice right now._

_You said it, _Xavier responded as he snuggled next to Eve. _Everything is perfect right about now._

_Uh huh, _Hunter agreed sleepily as Ayla rested her head on his shoulder. He was fast asleep before he could do any more thinking.

The girls were in for quite a surprise, for as they slept, their mates were transforming into their dragon forms in their sleep.

Night slowly came to the Manor. Once it came, the Nightwalkers woke from their sleep, refreshed and extremely hungry. They left the girls to sleep in peace and went to find food while in their dragon forms.

"My God, something smells good," Damian growled, flexing his muscles. "Wonder what it is."

Hunter and Xavier exchanged glances. "I smell blood," Xavier said, sniffing the air around them. "And I smell the Elders nearby," he added.

"Oh, really now?" Hunter asked. "I bet it's our three favorite Elders, am I right?"

"Of course," Damian growled. "But why would they be wandering around here?" he hissed, his eyes turning black.

"No bother—we deal with them now," Xavier snarled, his eyes also turning black. "I'm hungry, and I know you two are as well. Let's have some fun."

Meanwhile, Elders Anthony, Marcus, and Theodore were shaking with fear outside of the Manor. "We shouldn't be here," Anthony said, visibly afraid of the consequences if they were caught, especially by Damian. "Fuck them," Theodore said. "I'm sick and tired—so sick and tired of the way they rule. Kill this guy, kill that guy—such bullshit. They have to go."

"Who has to go?" Hunter suddenly appeared before them, still in dragon form.

"N-no one," the frightened Elders said, just as Damian and Xavier joined him, also in their dragon forms.

"_Skase_!" Damian snarled. "Shut up! I am sick of your excuses—you need to pay for the crimes you are committing against your leaders—and I don't mind letting the young ones here deal with you first."

"Yeah, right," Xavier growled. "You cocksuckers think you're so smart—saying what you're saying, doing what you're doing—well, you know what? We're sick of you—and the best way to solve everyone's problems with each other is to get rid of one thing—and that is YOU three." He grabbed Anthony by the throat. "Fuck the Sacrifice—because none of you will be there to participate. Do you want to do the honors, Hunt?"

Hunter stepped forward. "Of course," he purred as he pried Xavier's fingers loose from the shaking man's throat. "Relax." That didn't stop him from repeating the action, though—for he grabbed Anthony's throat as well. "Prepare to die, asshole. You've been NOTHING but a pain in my ass for the last time. Boys, shall we dine?" he said to Damian and Xavier, who were patiently waiting to eat.

"Can we, please?" Xavier whined. "I want to get back to Eve already."

"Seriously," Damian snickered. "Ana must be waking up from the charm I put on her already. Have your fun and let us eat," he said, nudging Hunter out of the daze he put himself into.

"Okay, crybabies," Hunter growled at them. "Say goodbye, motherfuckers. NO ONE will miss you—I know we won't." He let out a growl as he sank his fangs into the elder's neck, instantly snapping the neck bones in his haste to eat.

Soon after, the only sounds heard were the muffled cries of the doomed Elders as the Nightwalkers disposed of the traitors who called themselves city elders. "Mmm, I knew this would be good," Damian groaned as he drank every drop of blood to fall from Theodore's lifeless body. "Agreed," Xavier said, still feeding on Marcus's body. "This is good, what about you, Hunt?" Hunter was just finishing Anthony off. "I feel as if this blood is fueling me to go fuck the hell out of my sweet Ayla," he whispered. "Let's go back inside. Eden will make sure this is cleaned up," he said as he turned to head back to the house.

"We've got to talk to the rest of the elders and work on the Sacrifice, because it will be in a few hours," Hunter reminded them.

"We'll talk to them later," Damian said, his eyes turning red. "Right now, I want my Ana. She must be missing me."

"Aww," Xavier said, a smile on his face. "Look who woke up." He pointed to the three women walking up to them.

"Ladies," Hunter said, wrapping his arms around Ayla. "You're awake."

The girls gasped at the sight before them—but they stayed where they were, afraid to cause their lovers to get angry.

Anastasia spoke first. "You're in dragon form—we'd heard you could do that—but we always thought the elders were lying," she said as she reached to touch him.

Damian purred as Anastasia's hands touched him. "That feels good," he whispered as he sniffed her hand.

Ayla and Eve followed suit and reached to touch Hunter and Xavier, who also purred as they touched them. "That feels good," they murmured as they also sniffed their hands.

"Let's go inside," Damian said, pulling Anastasia behind him. "I want you girls to meet the housekeeping staff, especially Eden. You'll be having them provide anything you need as we sleep during the day—anything at all."

"Sounds like a plan," Xavier and Hunter said, flinging Eve and Ayla over their shoulders.

Laughing as they went, the Nightwalkers and their ladies made their way back to the house.

Introductions were made, then the six of them made their way back to their rooms.

The only sounds heard for the night were the growls of passion coming from the Nightwalkers, and the cries of the girls as they were being romanced by their mates.

It was quite a night, indeed.


	30. Sacrifice Night

Chapter 28- Sacrifice Night

**May 18th, 3120, 12:30 AM**

The night of the Sacrifice finally came. The housekeeping staff, along with Anastasia, Ayla, and Eve, made their way to the Town Square.

The girls were dressed in light blue, which the Nightwalkers had long adopted as the color associated with the Manor. Damian, Xavier, and Hunter were all dressed in the same color as well.

Eden had made extra time to school the girls on what was to happen during the Sacrifice, from the significance of the ritual itself to what would happen after it: in this case, there would be a whole lot of loving that night.

"You three look amazing," Hunter said, kissing Ayla's cheek.

"Why, thank you, sir," they chorused.

"Are you ready to become ours?" Damian asked.

"We are," the girls said in unison.

"Wonderful," Damian said, eyes glowing blue. "Don't be scared of anything. We'd never hurt you," he said, nuzzling Anastasia's neck as he spoke.

Anastasia smiled. "We know."

"Don't worry your pretty head, Desert Rose," Xavier whispered, noticing that Eve was nervously listening to everything Eden was telling her, Anastasia, and Ayla. "Everything will be fine. I promise," he assured her, rubbing her shoulders.

"Yeah, Evie," Ayla said to her. "Hunter has assured me that everything will be okay. I know you're nervous, but if anything went wrong, they would stop the ceremony," she said.

"Okay." Eve was still nervous, but she chose to participate anyway.

"I promise on my true dragon that I will be gentle with you," Xavier said. "And if I'm not, then you have every right to deny me from touching you," he continued.

They finally made it to the Town Square, where Elders Martin and Kenneth, along with the rest of the city elders were waiting for their arrival.

"Lord Damian," they said, kneeling before him, Hunter, and Xavier. "We haven't been long in awaiting your arrival," Kenneth said to them.

"No need for apologies," Damian said. "As long as we're all here. Let's start the ritual, shall we?"

"As you wish, my lord," Martin answered as he lit the candles surrounding the square. "Ladies, if you'd follow Michael, Timothy, and Edward to the altars, we can begin." Anastasia, followed by Ayla and Eve, followed the three junior Elders to the center of the square, where they were helped onto three large lapis altars.

"Whoa," Eve gasped. "It's cold!"

"This is amazing," Anastasia whispered to Ayla, who shook her head in response. "Agreed," she said as the elders finished setting up for the ritual.

Then came the incantation associated with the binding of the mates.

_By earth, wind, and fire, I am here before you_

_to bind my mate to me_

_ to love, cherish, obey, and honor_

_and also to protect at all times_

_So let it be done!_

"Ladies, please repeat each and every word after me as your mates stand by your altars," Kenneth instructed as he began reading the incantation.

"We will," came the reply.

"My lords," Martin said, casting a nervous glance at Damian, "how do you respond?"

Eyes glowing red, the three Nightwalkers, who were once again in dragon form, nodded their heads. "We speak the same. We promise to love these ladies and honor them as well," they answered, eyes still glowing red.

"Then go ahead and take your mates, my lords," Michael whispered to them.

"My pleasure," Hunter growled as he climbed onto Ayla's altar. "Get ready, sweet, because I'm extremely ready for you," he murmured, nuzzling her neck as he slid a hand under her dress.

"Mmm hmm," Damian leapt onto Anastasia's altar, almost knocking the wind out of her in the process. "Oops, sorry, angel," he said, suppressing a laugh as she struggled to catch her breath. "Got carried away."

"All is forgiven," Anastasia said, laughing at Damian's attempt to resist laughing.

Xavier, however, was having a hard time not laughing at Damian, and fell over laughing before he even climbed onto Eve's altar. In fact, he had to take three tries to get onto the structure without falling off. "Stop making me laugh!" he growled at Damian and Hunter, who were laughing hysterically at him.

Finally, Xavier made it onto the altar. Lying next to Eve, he played with her hair. "Much better," he said, sighing. "Thanks, arseholes," he snarled, glaring at Damian, who just kept on laughing.

"No problem" was all Hunter said before he began to furiously kiss Ayla. "Oh, Lord, you really couldn't wait," she said as the hand under her dress began to tug at her underwear. Hunter was definitely in the mood to do things that night. Ayla had to fight his hands off her thighs.

"For the love of all that is unholy, Hunter," she snapped. "Wait till we're back at the Manor, will you?"

Hunter feigned disappointment. "Aww, come on, _bella_. I just want to have fun. We'll send the elders away." he said, pursing his lips together.

Damian burst out laughing. "Think she wants to wait, _bambino_. Just wait till we get back, before she kills you," he said between laughs.

"Funny," Xavier said, watching Damian and Hunter bicker amongst themselves. "I thought you guys were in the mood to fuck...guess it's just me," he snickered.

Eve kicked him off the altar. "Like hell that is happening, dumbass," she hissed.

Damian and Hunter stopped arguing long enough to see Xavier on the ground. "What the fuck?" they asked, shocked expressions on their faces.

"She tossed me off because of that last comment," Xavier explained.

Anastasia cleared her throat. "Excuse me, boys," she began. "It's cold out here, and all I want to know is when the hell are we going back to the house? I'm getting a bit frisky," she said, winking at Damian.

"Ah," the elder Nightwalker said. "I think that maybe we should get back. I see the anxious looks the girls are giving us."

Xavier was puzzled by Eve glaring at him. "Okay, gentlemen," he said. "Clean all this up. The ladies want to get warmed up. I bid you good night."

With the ceremony being done, the group of six disappeared back to the Manor, leaving the Elders and the housekeeping staff to clean up the square.


	31. The Celebration

A/N: _Glikia mou_ is the Greek phrase for sweetheart. I thought it was cute for Damian to call Ana that, even though he's not going to be too happy with her in the next chapter when she suddenly tries to leave.

Chapter 29- The Celebration

"Now," Anastasia said as the group filed back into the Manor. "Since we're back in the house, why don't we celebrate this mating?"

"I wonder how we're going to do that?" Damian asked, a sly smile on his face.

"Relax, Horndog," Eve said. "Let her finish, will you? Damn."

Xavier looked at Eve, shocked out of his mind. "Where'd that come from?" he asked, completely flabbergasted.

"She's your woman," Hunter said, laughing. "But I think Ana should finish her statement."

"Anyway," Anastasia said, suppressing a laugh. "Let's just say, Evie needs to get laid—bad, and Ayla and I need a good fuck. What do you guys think?" she asked, smiling back at Damian and patting his head. Damian had been sitting by her side, listening to her every word as if he were an obedient puppy. As a response, he had begun panting like a puppy as well.

"Man," Hunter whispered to Xavier. "That old man's whipped. He even started making all sorts of noises for her. Damn!" That remark earned him a slap to the back of the head from Ayla, who had been listening in on his conversation.

"Keep quiet—or ya ain't getting anything from me," she snarled.

"Mmm, feisty, are we?" Hunter retorted, sniffing her neck as he spoke. Glancing at her and noticing the glare she was giving him, he backed down. "Okay, sweet," he muttered. "You win. I'll behave."

Anastasia began laughing. "Wow, Ayla," she said, still laughing. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"I just say we all go to bed," Eve said, trying to make herself heard.

"Agreed," Damian, Hunter, and Xavier said. "What do you think, ladies?" Hunter asked.

"Mmm, agreed," came the reply.

"Then it's settled," Xavier said. "Let's get some rest. I know we'll need it for later, he he."

Eve slapped him upside his head. "Watch it, pretty boy. Keep that up and see where it gets you." Xavier hung his head in shame. "Sorry, Desert Rose. I take it back."

"Good boy," she said, rubbing the back of his head, which emitted a growl from him. "Now," she said to the others as she stood up to leave the room, "how about going to bed?"

Without another word being spoken, everyone headed to bed.

Once she and Damian had gone to bed, Anastasia began to toss and turn. She was in the middle of a very frightening dream, but for some reason she couldn't wake herself out of it. It was surprising how Damian's arms were still around her in the middle of her tossing around their bed. "Mmm," was the only thing he said as he continued to sleep soundly beside her. He finally woke up, and woke her out of her dream as well.

"_Glikia mou_," he whispered, nuzzling her neck. "Sweetheart, wake up. You're having a bad dream. Please wake up."

Anastasia woke up with a start. "Wha—what happened?" she asked, eyes wide open.

"You're having a bad dream, love," Damian explained. "Care to tell me what it was about? Please?" he asked, a pained expression on his face.

Anastasia sighed, then took a deep breath and began to tell Damian what was troubling her. "I feel as if you aren't going to care about me. I feel that you will suddenly snap and kill me if anyone pisses you off and you can't get to them."

Damian looked at her, horrified. "Why would I kill you? I want you to be here—I want to learn all I can about you, to love you, to be with you no matter what. I could never do that—now, if you did something to irritate me, and it was beyond scolding you about it, I would do my hardest to make sure you didn't do it again."

Anastasia snuggled closer to him. "I understand. Maybe I should try to sleep again," she said. "It would probably do some good." Damian shook his head and smiled at her as she closed her eyes. "Maybe I should put a charm to work on you as you sleep, angel. Would you like me to try that?" he asked, rubbing her shoulders.

Anastasia shook her head. "Yes, please," she said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Don't cry, love," Damian said. "I'll help you with this—I promise. Just promise to never keep me out of things—ever. I want to know everything that is troubling you. Please connect with me on everything, I beg you," he said, wiping her tears away as he chanted the words to another old world sleeping charm.

"Okay," Anastasia said, and began to drift to sleep at the sound of Damian's voice reciting the words to the charm. "There now," he cooed. "Isn't that better, love? Don't you feel better now?" he whispered. Anastasia sleepily nodded her head as she rested it on his shoulder. "Good girl," Damian said. "Sweet dreams, my angel." He fell back to sleep, and was snoring soundly by the time the sun rose.

Meanwhile, in Eve and Xavier's room, Xavier was getting a quick session in before they went to sleep. Eve was moaning uncontrollably, her legs flailing in the air as he settled in between them. "Hold still, glikia mou...let me just...ah, yes—that's it, let me get right there," he murmured as his tongue delved inside her. "Oh, yes," she moaned. "Don't stop, please," she cried, panting as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Hmm? What was that?" he asked, a wicked smile on his face. "Oh, you want me to not stop? Is that it?" She nodded her head. "I think you want more, so I think I'll give you more. Would you like that?" He sank his head between her legs once more, and continued to lick at her core. "Mmm, God, that tastes good," he groaned as he began to lick faster. "That's good, baby," Eve yelled. "Keep it right there, ooh—oh God, oh God," she moaned as Xavier felt her climax—this just made him extremely greedy and made him continue to lap at her. "Damn, girl," Xavier growled. "You know how to make a man beg—but now you've made me unbelievably sleepy. Let's get some sleep so I can continue to have my fun—and make a woman out of you." They fell asleep moments later.

Hunter was in the process of making Ayla a bit more relaxed in their room. He gave her a back massage, and made her a snack of all her favorite sweets, including a mixture of melted white chocolate and coconut, which he called _chanxteia_, after a dessert Damian taught him to make back in the old days—the dish was also a way for Xavier to lure his victims to their deaths with his innocence. He would present the dish during lovemaking, and from there he would strike—killing the poor women before they screamed for him to stop. "Here, sweet," he said, bowing before her as he spoke. "I know that these are what your sweet tooth desires, and I made it into a dessert you will learn to love," he said, presenting the dish before her. Ayla took a bite. "Mmm," she murmured. "This is good. But how did you know I liked coconut? And the white chocolate? How?" Hunter chuckled. "You didn't have to tell me anything," he said. "I read your mind, dear...you forget that I can do that. I saw in your thoughts how much you enjoy sweets, and I got the idea from Damian to make this for you. Plus I saw that you were eating that the first time I saw you. It looked delicious, and I figured to make it the next time I had a chance to." Ayla blushed as she ate the dessert, which was absolutely delicious. Not only did the man she grew to love know what she liked, he knew everything about her as well. "Now, where were we?" he asked as he put down the empty dish. "Oh, yes, this is where we left off," he said as he went back to rubbing her back. "I'm feeling sleepy," Ayla said. "Stop! This is why I am getting this way. Maybe we should go to bed." Hunter laughed again. "You're right. Let's go to bed." With that, they went to bed, sleeping for what seemed to be hours.

All throughout the Manor, not a sound was to be heard. All were asleep, recharging themselves in order to function the next day.


	32. Anastasia's Escape

A/N: Agapi mou is Greek for _my love._

Chapter 30- Anastasia's Escape

Morning came quickly to the Manor. All throughout the mansion, everyone was still asleep.

Well, everyone except Anastasia, that is.

Anastasia was the first one to wake up. Looking over at Damian, who was still asleep, she bolted out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Grabbing a few things, she quickly packed a bag and made her way downstairs and out of the mansion. "I'm sorry, Dame," she said, crying softly. "But I don't think I can be be here—I'm afraid of you, despite your words saying you would never hurt me."

Ana was still crying as she got downstairs. "I hope I made the right decision," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I don't want him to kill me when someone else has made him mad. It's not fair!" She made her way down the steps and out of the way of the Manor.

Meanwhile, Damian began to stir out of his sleep. "Mmm, baby. I can't wait to celebrate with you later. Wait, what the--?" His eyes bolted open to find Anastasia not in bed lying beside him. Angrily growling as he got out of bed, he tossed on a pair of jeans and a black tank top. Storming down the stairs, he began swearing. "Where is she? When I get my hands on her, I'll rip her to pieces!" Then he softened his tone a bit, thinking back to the night before. "Maybe she thought that I would kill her again," he said to himself. "Maybe this is why she was so scared. I'm going to make her wish she wasn't thinking that. I have to show her that I'm for real and I would never wish to do her harm."

Damian was about to head out the door when he realized that the sun was shining—he couldn't stand the sun, and decided to throw Anastasia off balance by putting the area surrounding the mansion in complete darkness so he could track her down. Waving his right hand in the air, he enveloped the Manor and the surrounding forest in darkness. Sniffing the air as he darkened the area, he found her scent and located her whereabouts—she was in the forest.

"Ah," he murmured. "You've not gone far, my angel. When I get you, you're going to wish you hadn't tried to leave your love. I will never hurt you, but I will make sure to punish you for trying to leave—even though you were scared." Transforming into a blue fog, he made his way into the forest to search for his mate.

Anastasia made sure to keep quiet as she ran through the forest. "Maybe he won't find me out here," she said to herself, the tears still forming. "Maybe he'll give up and go back to the Manor."

She was awfully wrong, for as soon as she thought to take a rest and sit upon a log to collect herself, Damian materialized in his human form before her. Anastasia gasped in fear and shock.

"What is the meaning of this?" Damian asked, his eyes turning violet. "Why did you leave, angel? Was it the dreams? Was it your fear of me hurting you?" he continued to ask her. Anastasia's head hung in shame, the tears still falling. "Don't cry, glikia mou. Just answer me."

Anastasia was afraid to answer him, for fear of him lashing out at her. "I am still afraid. What you did to the three Elders was horrifying. I am scared that you will do the same to me if I anger you."

Damian looked at her with concern in his eyes—which quickly changed to anger. "How dare you accuse me of that!" he growled, his eyes changing to black. "I have told you over and over again that I will not hurt you—the Elders were a different freaking story—they wanted to kill us. You're not an Elder—therefore, I would not punish you like I would to them. However, I am going to punish you for trying to run. This is uncalled for—I don't believe you would fear me this badly—so I will give you a reason to fear me."

Anastasia's head was still down as Damian spoke to her. He sat down next to her and took her face in his hands. Gently kissing her, his voice began to calm down a bit. "Agapi mou, listen to me. I would never want to hurt you. You're much too special to me to do anything like that. But, I still have to discipline you. Until then, I want to do something to make you believe that I won't do anything to cause bodily harm to you." He got up from the log and stood before her. Stripping off his clothes, he stood before her in his naked glory, his tattoos glistening in the darkness. Anastasia gasped—she had never imagined Damian to be as ripped as he was. Damian noticed the look on Anastasia's face. "Ah," he said. "You've never seen all of me—take it in, for this is what you will have all the time. And now, let me show you what I have wanted to show you for a while now." He knelt in front of her, spread her legs apart, and situated himself between them. Taking her hand, he guided it to his shaft as he nibbled on her neck. "Shh," he whispered, ripping her clothes off as his teeth grazed her neck. "Everything will be fine." In response, Anastasia's hand pumped harder at his shaft as her clothes fell away from her body. "Ahh," he groaned. "That's it—that's wonderful. Now it's my turn." He laid her onto the ground, ripped her underwear off, and began to lick at her core. "Remember, my angel," he whispered. "I am still going to punish you, but for now, I'm going to pleasure and weaken you at the same time. Enjoy it while you can." Anastasia's legs began to weaken as Damian's tongue continued to work on her. "Ooh," she moaned. "Mmm—oh, God...I don't deserve this," she cried before she passed out. "Heh," Damian chuckled. "You should know that I don't have mercy on those who anger me," he growled as he continued to feast on her. Licking his lips, he dressed them both and carried her back to the Manor to continue her punishment.

When Anastasia came to, she found that she was back at the Manor—naked—and tied spread eagle to the bed. "Glad you're awake, agapi mou," Damian said, sitting on a chair by the bed. "Now I can punish you," he said, an evil grin on his face. "Hmm, where to begin? Oh, I know, I'm going to fuck you senseless," he growled. Leaping onto the bed, he made his way between her legs and ran his hands over her thighs. "Mmm," he groaned. "You smell delicious, I wonder if you'll taste the same after my cock has been inside you?" he taunted. Without another word, he drove himself inside her, emitting a cry from Anastasia. "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" she cried, trying her hardest not to cry. "Aww," Damian hissed. "Poor baby," he taunted again. "Does it hurt? I hope so—because if you EVER try to leave this house again, I swear to God I will make it worse. No, don't close your eyes—I want you to watch as I enter you and fuck you like the animal I am. This is your punishment, and I want you to watch everything," he growled in her ear. He untied the ropes that bound her to the bed and wrapped her arms around him. "Keep watching me," he ordered as he began to slam into her. " I want you to watch me, so that you see what is happening to you. Anastasia's screams worsened as he continued to slam into her. "I'm sorry," she cried. "Please, stop. I will never leave again, I swear." Damian's laughter rang in her ears. "Sorry, my ass," he growled. "You wouldn't have left—much less tried to leave, despite our talk. You're paying for it now." He suddenly flipped her over on her stomach and drove himself into her again. "Stop screaming," he commanded. "It only fuels my rage when you scream." Slamming into her as hard as he could, Damian laughed at the pain he was bringing her. He continued until her body fell limp under him. Pulling out of her, he gently lay her unconscious body on the bed and kissed her forehead.

"Remember what I said, angel," he whispered. "I have no patience for what the Elders do against me. But for you, my patience is always there. Next time you do this, I will do a whole lot worse than this to you." With that being said, he went into the study to reflect on what his anger had caused him to do.


	33. The Aftermath of Escape

A/N: Sorry for the delay—I totally got so busy at work, it wasn't even funny! I promise to have this up without further delay!!

Chapter 31- The Aftermath of Escape

"Dame? Where are you?" Xavier called. He had been looking for him to consult on an issue the Elders were having as they planned for the May Festival, which was to be held in a few days.

"He's in the study, Master Xavier," Lara, his servant girl, told him. He thanked her with a pat on the forehead, and hurried to the study. Finding Damian meditating in the large room, he gave him a smack to the forehead.

"What the hell?" Damian thundered at him. "Did I do something wrong?"

Xavier glowered at him. "Yeah, you did. Is it true Ana tried to leave the Manor or not?" he growled.

"She was having some weird ass dreams about me killing her," Damian explained. "She feared that she was going to die like the Elders we offed. I tried telling her she wasn't going to be hurt. But she was too afraid to listen to me—so she packed and tried to leave. The only way I found her was when I darkened the area surrounding the Manor—including the forest—she wasn't able to see, and I made sure of that," he said, a frown on his face. "I took her while we were still in the forest, then I punished her when we were back in the house."

Xavier was in shock. "I hope you didn't kill her," he whispered, a pained look on his face.

Damian lowered his eyes to the floor. "Of course not. She is currently in bed, knocked out thanks to me—if there was some way to heal that pain, I would do so."

"How about this?" Hunter entered the room, a smile on his face. "Do what I did when I damaged Ayla—get some bath salts, light some candles, lay a healing charm on, and just relax. I hadn't meant to hurt Ayla either, but she was out of line—worse than Ana. Which brings me to the next thing here. We need to keep those girls in check. Any stupid moves could get them hurt—or worse."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you getting at, Hunt?" he asked.

"What I mean, Dame, is that if our anger reaches it's boiling point, we may kill them. I don't want to spend another century looking for a mate—I don't know about you or X on that one," Hunter said as he leafed through a stack of books.

Xavier was stunned. "Wait a fucking minute," he said. "Who the hell said I was going to hurt my Eve? I didn't."

Hunter growled at him. "No, X, I didn't say that. I was just saying that if she got out of line—let's say she had suddenly grown a set of balls and told you off—what would you do? Let it slide or get mad?"

Xavier shook his head. "Eve would be getting a stern talking to—then I would probably give her some sort of punishment for her being rude. But I don't think I could, or would go as far as you two arseholes did—she is too delicate for that."

Damian and Hunter burst out laughing. "I knew you were going to say that," they both told him. "You and your thin-skinned women. No wonder you like them so much. But Eve has to toughen up—she can't remain thin like that forever, you know?" Hunter asked.

"No," Xavier said. "But I think I will go have a chat with her. Dame, go check on Ana—she may be waking up. Also, go do what Hunt suggested." Damian shot him a look, then went out of the study and back to his and Anastasia's room.

Meanwhile, Anastasia was beginning to stir. "Damian?" she called. "Where are you?" Damian walked into the room. "I'm here, baby," he said, stroking her hair as he sat next to her on the bed. "I wanted to tell you that I am sorry I tried to run away," Anastasia said, tears falling down her face. "No," Damian said, blood tears forming in his eyes. "I want you to stay with me, I want you to be able to trust me, and I want you to be able to tell me whatever is troubling you. No more of this running away shit—it angers me, and you won't see this side of me if you do it again. I love you, Ana, and I want to know one thing. Do you love me as well?"

Anastasia looked into Damian's dark brown eyes. "Of course I love you," she said, a smile on her face. " I was afraid, and I was stupid as well. You could never hurt me, and I should know that. It's just that when I saw you with those Elders, I was scared. I just got so afraid—for myself and the girls. I am so sorry for what I did. I deserved what I got as well."

Damian was shocked—he hadn't expected to hear any of this from Anastasia's mouth. "It's okay, and you didn't deserve anything," he said, wiping his eyes. "Now," he said, reaching for her hand. "Let me get you into your bath." Anastasia's eyes were wide with shock. "Bath? Did I hear that right?" she asked. "Yes," Damian said, laughing at her. "I have a bath prepared for you. I took Hunter's advice on what he did for Ayla when she got him annoyed—which was prepare her a bath to take all that pain away. So, let me pamper my glikia mou tonight—and don't protest, either."

Anastasia kept her mouth shut as Damian gently lifted her off the bed and carried her to the bathroom. He then placed her into the tub and began to wash her back and shoulders, while she washed the rest of her body. "My angel," Damian murmured, "has anyone ever told you how wonderful you are?" Anastasia's mouth dropped. "N-no," she stammered. "No one. Why are you saying this?" Damian stared into her eyes. "Because you are smoking hot. You're also smart, kind, caring—all the qualities I like in my women. I will never stray as long as you're with me. I promise you that—and I also promise that I will never hurt you the way I did ever again. You're too special, as I have said before. But I will hurt those who decide to hurt you. But, let's get away from that subject," he said, kissing her neck. "I want to concentrate on you tonight." He tore off his clothes and got into the tub with her.

After their discussion in the study, Hunter had gone off to the kitchen to prepare another dish of chanxteia for Ayla. "I'm shocked she likes this stuff so much—but then again, I am glad Dame taught me how to make this—it's definitely the way to a woman's heart," he said to himself. "Now, to see where she is," he said. "Ayla? Darling sweet, where are you?" he called as he walked into their room. "Right here, lover," Ayla said, lying across the bed. Hunter nearly dropped the dish as his mouth dropped. Ayla was dressed in a light green negligee—something she would never wear—as Hunter had been in the kitchen. Candles were lit in the background, and incense was burning. "Whoa," he said, setting the dish down on the table in the center of the room. "What have you got under your sleeve, little one?" he asked. "Oh, nothing," Ayla said as she rose from the bed and walked over to him. "Come, sweetie," she said. "Don't worry yourself with the details. Let's have some fun."

Eve was in her and Xavier's room, tidying up the bathroom. "Eve?" Xavier called. "What are you up to, Desert Rose?" Eve came out of the bathroom, a canister of sleep powder in her hands. "Ah," he said, a smile on her face. "Tidying up the bathroom—good choice." Eve put down the canister and ran up to him, quietly kissing him on the lips. "Missed you," she said. "I did too," he said, returning the kiss. "Now, how's about you stop organizing for a while and sit with me?" Xavier asked her. "Or were you done?" Eve smiled. "I was done anyway," she said. "What do you have in mind?" A smile crept onto Xavier's face. "You'll see," he said, as he waved his hands around the room. At once a blue fog drifted into the room, along with a dish of chanxteia. "Sweets for the sweet, and a desert getaway as well," he whispered, sniffing her neck. Eve reached for the dish as the fog turned the room into ancient Egypt. "Oh, wow!" Eve cried, her eyes wide with shock. "How did you know I wanted to visit Egypt?" she asked him. "Just a guess," Xavier said, kissing her cheek. "Do you like it?" Eve began to cry. "I love it," she said.

I will continue this in the next chapter...


	34. The Celebration Continues

A/N: A_mesengnalhu_ is Amharic for "thank you."

I apologize again for the delay—this time it was work and the birth of my newborn cousin, Kyle, that did it. So, on to the story!

Chapter 32- The Celebration Continues

"Now, my sweet," Hunter murmured. "Where were we?"

"I know," Ayla said, a wicked smile on her face. "We were about to have some fun, you and I. And it was going to be great." She tried to suppress a laugh as she spoke—it wasn't successful, ha ha. "So let's get to it then, shall we?" Hunter asked, grabbing her by the waist and playfully tossing her onto the bed. Soon, all that could be heard was Ayla's moaning as Hunter's tongue made its way inside its target. "Like that, baby?" he asked, a sly smile on his face. Ayla was trying so hard not to scream that she nearly turned blue. "It's okay, my sweet. Let it out. Let Daddy know what you're thinking," Hunter whispered. "Oh, God," Ayla moaned. "Oh, God—this feels so good. Mmm, Daddy...please don't stop—oh, please don't stop...that feels amazing..." She stopped and let out a sharp gasp as Hunter devoured her core, lapping furiously as he went. "Don't stop—keep telling me what you want—I love it when you beg Daddy to please you," he growled, still licking between her legs. Soon, they fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

**Meanwhile, in Damian and Anastasia's room:**

"Ana," Damian whispered as he lay in the bathtub with her, "can I tell you something?"

Anastasia, who had been in her own little world as they were in the tub, suddenly snapped out of her thoughts. "Sure, sweetie," she said. "What's on your mind?"

"Well," Damian began. "I was thinking that maybe I could do something nice for you—something to consummate the mating process—maybe a nice trip away from the Manor. I got the idea from X. As of right now, I'm thinking Paris--17th century Paris, to be exact. I've already made the plans and talked to an old friend about staying at his hotel."

Anastasia was shocked. "Do you really mean that? I'd love it!" she exclaimed. "When are we going?"

"Whenever you want," Damian replied. "Now, where were we?" he asked, gently kissing her neck. "Ah, yes, at some point in time, we were going to get out of this bathtub, he he," he said, reaching for a towel. Drying them both off, he again carried Anastasia out to their room, and lay her on their bed. Pulling out a package, he quickly opened it and dressed her in its contents. "Look at yourself," he commanded. Anastasia got up, walked over to the mirror, and gasped. "Oh, Damian," she cried. "This dress is so beautiful. Where did you get this?" she asked, twirling around so he could see how she looked. "A friend of mine owed me a favor," he said. "When I told him I was going to get myself a mate again, he made this for the lucky lady—in this case, you—and told me to treat her like a queen," he continued. "So I am doing what I was told—treating you like a queen. So, if you're ready, we can go travel to Paris now."

Anastasia twirled around some more. "I love this dress—it's so beautiful."

Damian smiled. _You'll be beautiful with it off as well,_ he thought. "Let's go then, angel. Or should I say _ma cherie_?" Anastasia jumped into his arms, and they disappeared into a cloud of blue smoke.

_**Ancient Egypt: Xavier and Eve**_

Meanwhile, in Ancient Egypt, Xavier and Eve were having a blast. Xavier had planned a huge surprise for Eve at the Golden Horizon, the tavern he, Damian, and Hunter frequented centuries before. The festivities for the evening included a minstrel show with acrobats and snake charming. At first, Eve had been petrified about the snake charming, because of her fear of snakes, but once Xavier reassured her the snake's venom had been extracted and it wouldn't bite, she took a liking to the festivities. Laughing and clapping at the antics of the acrobats, Eve couldn't help but steal a few glances at Xavier, who was enjoying himself as well. What she didn't know was that he was looking at her too. Finally, he had an idea. "Evie," he said, a smile on his face. "What if we got away from here, and had a bit of fun on our own?"

Eve's face brightened. "I think I would like that—what did you have in mind?" she asked.

Xavier grinned. "Maybe a night of just being with you—wine, cheese, sweets of some sort...what do you think?"

Eve laughed. "I like that idea...anything else?" she asked.

Xavier smiled again. "That is for me to know and you, Desert Rose, to find out." He took her by the hand. "Let's get out of here. Aziz, _amesengnalhu _on tonight's festivities. It has been real."

Aziz shook Xavier's hand. "As always, Master Xavier. And, Mistress Eve, I am glad I got to meet you. You are all this man talked about." He bowed before the couple, then went to the kitchen. When he came back, he had a basket with cheese, wine, and a round of baklava for them to munch on. "Enjoy," he said. "Aliera will show you to your room. Don't hesitate to ask for anything if you need it."

"Thank you, Aziz," Eve said, shaking his hand as she and Xavier followed Aliera up the stairs to their room. "That was very nice of you." They stopped at the end of the hallway, and Aliera opened the door. "This is your room—the best in the tavern. Enjoy," Aliera said, a smile on her face.

"Trust me," Xavier said. "We will. Good night, Aliera. And thank you." Aliera bowed her head and went down the stairs. "Well, now," Xavier said, turning to Eve. "What about that fun I said I owe you?" he asked, a wicked grin on his face. "Whatever you want," Eve said, returning the grin. At once, Xavier took a hold of her arm, pulling her close to him. Lightly kissing her neck, he began to remove her clothing. "Mmm," Eve moaned, pulling him closer to her. "You've had this planned for quite a while, haven't you?" she asked, turning her head to the side to allow him more access to her neck. "Why, yes, my darling Eve," Xavier murmured as he continued to kiss her neck. "And you know what else I planned, Evie?" he asked.

"Gee, I wonder," Eve said, laughing as she tossed Xavier onto the bed. Ripping his clothes off, she tugged at his underwear. "Maybe we'll keep those on," she said, a smile on her face. "I'm going to get a bath ready. Stay put," she said as she went to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. While in the bathroom, she lit some candles and incense, heated the bathwater, and prepared the salts she planned to use for the night. "Hey, baby," Eve called. "You can come in now," she said as she stripped off the rest of her clothing and stepped into the heavily scented bath. Xavier didn't have to be told what to do twice. He rushed to the bathroom, and opened the door. What he saw was heavenly: Eve was naked and in the bath—her eyes were closed the entire time—she didn't see when Xavier came into the bathroom. Taking what was left of his clothes off, he stepped into the tub. "Now this is living," he whispered as he took her into his arms and sat with her. "Hmm?" Eve asked, eyes still closed. "I think someone had plans up their sleeves too," Xavier replied. "How did you know to do all this?" Eve opened her eyes and smiled. "It was easy. Aliera and I had a talk while you and Aziz were watching the snake charmer do her thing. She got me the candles and incense, brought them up her, and the rest is history." Xavier's eyes glowed red. "You know," he began, "I knew you weren't so innocent." They continued to lay in the tub for a long while, just enjoying the peace and quiet the room had to offer.

_**17th Century Paris: Damian and Anastasia**_

Damian and Anastasia had just arrived in Paris. Upon their arrival, Damian went to go check on their sleeping arrangements, which were immediately taken care of, due to the fact that the manager of the Palace Hotel, Jean Pierre, was called from his office the second he heard his old friend had arrived in the City of Love. "Damian? Where are you, you old fool?" Jean Pierre called. "Right here, you arrogant bastard," Damian replied. "And who is this lovely lady?" the hotelier asked. "This can't be Anastasia—she's too pretty. Oh, it is! Pardon me, Mademoiselle," he said, blushing at Anastasia. "Yes, it is the lovely Ana," Damian said to him. "Isn't she hot?" Jean Pierre fanned himself with his handkerchief. "Indeed, Damian. I remember the old days when all those hookers thought they would have a night with you—that used to be a pain shooing those bitches away from you. I am proud of how well you turned out." Damian laughed. "No, you would have me preoccupy myself with them—and I did clean up afterwards." Anastasia looked at them, a puzzled look on her face. "No, no," Damian said. "What he means is that I used to clean up house with all the whores that came in here—JP would let me feed on them—what happened was I killed them, which is why he hasn't had one in here since." Anastasia began laughing. "I see," she said. "In other words, you were the hotel's exterminator," she said, still laughing. "Babe, you don't have to cover that shit up at all, I was just curious."

Damian smiled. He was still in shock that Anastasia was taking everything so well. "Jean Pierre," he said, "how about showing the lady and myself where we're going to be staying, eh?" Jean Pierre blushed again. "Of course, Damian. Let me take you to your room—which is still the way you left it—except for the bloodstains."

Damian burst out laughing. "Wonderful. I'd love to see the old room again. Ana, you'll love this—I always had this room when I was in Paris. It has a nice view and all—you'll see." Jean Pierre opened the door to the Grecian Suite, which was decked out with all of Damian's favorites—fruits, cheeses, and wine.

"Very nice," Damian said to his friend. "Just everything I like...you've outdone yourself, JP."

Jean Pierre blushed. "I try, old friend. I try," was all he could say. "I will leave you two alone. Anastasia, it was very nice to meet you," he said as he exited the room.

"Now," Damian said once the door had closed. "Where were we, _mademoiselle_?"

"_Monsieur,_" Anastasia said, a smile on her face, "I believe you said you were going to show me some of Paris from this room."

Damian allowed a grin to form on his face. "I believe I did promise that. Come here, glikia mou." He took her by the arm and began to kiss her. "I love you," he said. "I hope you know that."

Anastasia's mouth dropped. "Let's go," she said.

The only sound heard from the room was silence. Damian and Anastasia spent most of the evening enjoying each other's company. The only time they did leave was to visit the Louvre—and a few other places.

"Thank you, Damian," Anastasia said, tears in her eyes as they stood in the Louvre. "I am having so much fun." She leaned over to kiss him. "This is so beautiful."

**Blackhorse Manor: Hunter and Ayla**

"Hey, where are Damian and Xavier?" Ayla asked Hunter when they woke a few hours later.

"I have no idea," Hunter said. "Unless they went to celebrate in their own ways. We'll leave them alone," he said. "And we'll just see them when they get back."


	35. Hunter's Promise

Chapter 33- Hunter's Promise

Hunter awoke the next morning—quite early, at that. He turned over to see if Ayla was still asleep. Seeing that she was still sleeping, he made his way to the housekeeping wing of the Manor and knocked on two doors—one belonged to Lara, and the other was to his own servant girl, Damaris. "I need your help," he called through the doors.

Lara opened hers first. "Master Hunter? What is it you need?" she asked, clearly confused. Damaris soon opened hers after, a sly smile on her face. "You're up to something, Master Hunter. I want in," was all she said.

"I want to plan a surprise for Ayla, and I want you two to help me," Hunter explained. "I want to take her into the forest for a romantic lunch. Just spending some time with her is what I want to do—and seeing that neither Xavier nor Damian are here at the moment, I figured this was the best time. Don't you agree?"

Both servants shook their heads. "What do you want us to do first?" Lara asked him.

Hunter closed his eyes, then slowly opened them back. "Hm, let me think."

Damaris spoke first. "What about this? Lara and I can make a lunch of Lady Ayla's favorite foods. What does she like? I mean, besides the ever popular chanxteia."

Hunter pondered the question. Snapping his fingers, he got an idea. "Well, she likes meat—preferably lamb. There was a place she told me she used to go for lunch on Mondays—Rhassouli's—that made a dish with just lamb and all sorts of vegetables—sans the onions of course, because she loathes them. What if you made that for the main course? And the chanxteia, along with some ambrosia for dessert? And for the appetizers, some finger foods, like nachos and buffalo wings...?"

Lara and Damaris shook their heads. "That's it, Master Hunter!" they said. "What a wonderful idea. We can get to work on that right away. And, we won't tell Lady Ayla anything—all you have to do is keep her occupied with something else."

Hunter smiled. He knew that he could trust them with this project. "I'll go make her breakfast while you two shower and what not. See you in a bit," he said as he headed to the kitchen. Soon he was making breakfast for two, complete with pancakes, eggs, coconut cream hot chocolate, and fruit salad. Carefully carrying the breakfast on a large tray, he entered their room, elated to see that his mate was still asleep. Placing the food on the large table in the middle of the room, he walked over to the bed and gently shook Ayla awake.

"Honey, wake up. Breakfast is ready." For some reason, Ayla was so deep in sleep that it took Hunter a half hour to wake her. "Hi baby," she said. "I'm sorry, you kept me up so late last night—I just felt like sleeping in. Are you mad?"

Hunter let out a laugh. "Mad? No, no, agapi mou. I'm not mad. Just forgot that I can do that to a woman. My stamina is still too much for you, ha ha. I can see we have a lot to work on there."

Ayla laughed. "That we do—not now, though. When did breakfast come up? And is it still hot?"

Hunter waved a hand over the food. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "Still is. I just had it brought up here. Now come and eat before it gets cold."

Ayla got up—before Hunter could make her. "Mmm," she said as she sniffed the food. "It smells good. Let's eat." They sat and ate their breakfast, occasionally stopping to talk about everything, from travel to politics.

Meanwhile, Lara and Damaris busied themselves in the kitchen, preparing the food that Hunter planned for his picnic with Ayla. "Almost done with the lamb," Damaris said, wiping her face. "And everything else is done. I'll start packing the basket now."

After they took a shower, Hunter and Ayla dressed and headed down to the study. "All this time you have been here, and I have never shown you the study. Let's sit in here and enjoy the quiet for a bit," he said.

"What have you got up your sleeve?" Ayla asked.

"Nothing." Hunter smiled, reaching over to kiss her. "Nothing at all."

"You lie!"

"Why would I lie? I have no reason to."

Ayla was getting agitated. "Hunter Majistal, if you don't tell me what is going on..."

Hunter laughed. "Here, put this on," he said, handing her a blindfold.

"Why?" she asked.

"Please, agapi mou. Please put it on. I have a surprise for you." Hunter begged.

Ayla sighed. "Okay."

Hunter led her into the kitchen, where he grabbed the basket of food and the blanket and then out to the forest. "Hold on, babe," he said. "We're almost there."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see," he replied.

They finally entered the forest. Taking the blindfold off, he set her on the blanket, then he began taking out the food and arranged it in front of her. "Welcome to your surprise, darling. Do you like it?" he asked her.

Ayla was in tears. "This is beautiful," she said, tears rolling down her face.

Hunter smiled. "I am glad you like it. But I have something to ask of you, if I may."

Ayla looked at him. "What is it?" she asked.

"Well," Hunter began. "I have looked extremely hard into our relationship since the Sacrifice, and I have been thinking. I want you to stay here with me for all eternity. I love you with all my heart. And I am hoping you feel the same," he said, blood tears forming in his eyes.

Ayla was stunned. "Yes," she said. "I will stay with you. I admit it was a boneheaded move for Ana to try to escape. But I wouldn't do that to you."

Hunter let a smile creep on to his lips. "Good, then it is settled. But if you fall back on your promise, and you do pull an Anastasia, I _will_ do more than punish you. Understand?" he asked.

Ayla shook her head. "I understand," she replied. "Enough of this. Let's finish eating."

Hunter waved his hands in the air. All of a sudden, the sky surrounding the forest darkened, and became illuminated by the appearance of tiny candles in the air. "Now, to complete the surprise," he said. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful," was all Ayla could say.

"Well, then, beautiful," Hunter said to her, "how about dessert?" he murmured, laying her down onto the blanket.

"What did you have in mind?" Ayla asked.

"This," Hunter said, kissing her. Removing her clothes as he continued to kiss her, he spread her legs apart and began to lick between them, grunting as he went. "Scream for me, darling," he growled, his tongue moving deeper inside her.

Ayla let out a scream. "Oh, God," she moaned.

"Oh, God is right," Hunter's growls became louder as he continued his feast. "Tell me how it feels, my sweet," he snarled.

"Good!" came the reply.

"Wonderful," Hunter replied. "Wish we could go on with this out here, but we can't. Let's go back to the house and continue this, shall we?" They dressed, packed the basket, and went back to the Manor.


	36. A New Threat

A/N: I got a great idea to use Shane O'Mac (Nicolai), Lance Cade (Lysander), and the Undertaker (Terrion) as three past enemies of the Nightwalkers. Thanks for the awesome idea, Ashley!

Chapter 34- A New Threat

Three mysterious figures lurked outside the Manor. "How are we getting in there?" one of them asked.

"Hmm," Terrion, the leader of the three, murmured. "We'll have to be let in. We have unfinished business to do with those assholes."

Nicolai glared at him. "And how do you propose that will happen? Their housekeeping staff is trained to NOT just let any old body in. You know that."

"We'll have to make them let us in is all," Lysander chimed in, a smile laced with pure evil on his cherubic face.

The trio continued to look into the house and worked on their plan to destroy the Nightwalkers.

"Wow, that was some lunch!" Ayla exclaimed as she and Hunter returned to the house. "We should do that again sometime."

Hunter laughed. "Aye," he remarked, a twinkle in his ice blue eyes. "That we should. Next time, I'll cook." He began to unpack the basket when his eyes suddenly went violet. An earth shattering growl escaped his throat.

"Baby," Ayla said, shuddering, "What's going on?"

Hunter looked at her. "I think we have some unexpected danger outside. Stay here. I'm going to try to get a hold of Dame and X."

"You don't need to do that," Damian said as he and Anastasia appeared before them, with Xavier and Eve following behind them. "What the hell is going on?" he asked. "Fuck that—let's just go see what is up, shall we?"

Xavier's eyes went dark blue. "Indeed we do have company—but you won't believe who it is."

"Who?" Damian and Hunter asked.

Xavier sighed. "Remember the warlords that asked us to take out all those people who never paid them back for their work back in the day? Well, those motherfuckers—Terrion, Nicolai, and Lysander—the same ones who had those blasted coffins created for us—are alive and well. And here on the premises."

"What?!" Damian roared. "I thought I dealt with them. How is that possible?"

Xavier sighed again. "I think I know how. The Elders that were against us. They just never let anyone on their plans—especially when that involved resurrecting the dead."

"Wonderful," Hunter hissed, throwing himself into a chair. "We have to get the girls to safety—or something."

Damian spoke up. "What if we just turned them? Forget the Transformation ritual for now. We can do a formal ceremony later."

Eve became panicky. "What are we going to do?" she asked, while in tears.

"Calm down, _bella_. We will figure something out," Xavier assured her. "Girls, take Evie upstairs. We will be up in a while."

"Okay," Anastasia said, as she and Ayla took Eve's hands. "Let's go into the upstairs living room and watch some Keeping Up Appearances, okay?" she said.

Eve nodded her head as she allowed her friends to lead her upstairs. Once they were upstairs, she began to cry. "What if they don't know what to do?" she cried. "What if we end up killed or something?"

Ayla looked at the wall, a blank look on her face. "I don't know, Evie. I just don't know. They will do something, and they will get rid of this threat."

Anastasia nodded. "If I know Damian well enough, which I do now, he will have some sort of plan to get rid of these guys. They won't win—no way, no how. Don't worry. Evie. They will do something about this."

Eve smiled. "I know they will," she said. "I just feel that something may happen to us—before they do something about it. I don't want anything to happen to X is all," she added, fresh tears falling down her face.

"So then," Damian said as he paced back and forth across the room, a look of pure rage on his face. "What do we do?"

"Easy," Hunter said. "We take them on. It's simple. If they think they can get rid of us, then let them. They aren't going to be hard to defeat. Trust me—they want a fight, let's give them one."

Xavier pondered the thought. "They're idiots. Why would they choose now to do this?" he asked, his eyes flaring.

"I know why," a voice said. All three Nightwalkers turned to face the voice.

"Damaris?" Hunter asked, shocked out of his mind. "What do you know about this?"

Damaris took a deep breath and began to tell what she knew. "Ah," Hunter said, a smirk on his face. "So the Elders we killed wanted to really get rid of us. We'll see who wins this battle. I think we should call a meeting about this. And tell them we mean business."

Damian and Xavier shook their heads. "I think so," Xavier said. "Dame, feel like breaking hands?" he asked.

Damian growled, completely agitated by the situation. "Nah," he replied. "I feel like causing a few nightmarescapes to occur. I'll let them live, because I want to hear what they have to say. If it involves something to happen to my Ana, they'll die by my hands later."

"Well," Lysander said, smiling. "I say we go in there, kill everyone, and get those whores they have. I feel like giving a girl a good fucking anyway."

Terrion laughed. "This is all you think about. You need to settle your nerves."

"I agree with Terrion," Nicolai said. "We have a task at hand—to finally rid the world of the Nightwalkers once and for all. Plus, they aren't going to rest until they get rid of us." They continued their plans, completely unaware that they were being watched by Damian himself.

Damian smirked, his eyes glowing crimson. "Wait until I get my hands on you, Terrion," he raged. "If you come near my Ana, I promise I will make your very short afterlife a living fucking hell—trust that." He laughed as he continued to watch every move the three warlords were making.


	37. Three Little Warlords

A/N: I am so loving the Greek language, especially all the swear words I know so well thanks to my friends in the International department of my office. Anyway, _minara_ is Greek for _asshole_. Enjoy!

Also, there is a line from Blade: Trinity that I changed for the purpose of the story. Try to find it (if you choose to).

Chapter 35- Three Little Warlords (or the Order of the Falcon)

"Well, now," Terrion said to his comrades. "Shall we?"

Lysander and Nicolai looked up at the older warrior. "What are you talking about? Oh—he means the Manor. Let's go," Lysander whispered to Nicolai.

"Ah! Yes, let's," Nicolai said, a smile on his face. "I can't wait to start busting some heads. It'll be fun."

All of a sudden, a trickle of evil laughter rang in the midnight sky. All three warriors turned their heads to look for the source of the sound.

"Where'd that come from?"

"How should I know?"

"For the love of God, shut the _fuck_ up already, you two. We have to figure where that sound was coming from. Capiche?"

Damian stepped out from the shadows. "Aww," he said to himself. "Those fuckers are still as stupid as they were centuries ago. Nothing has changed. Pity."

_Figured_, Hunter's voice rang in his head.

_Had a feeling_, Xavier murmured. _Just work your magic, Dame. They'll expect nothing, just like back in the day._

_I will_, Damian assured them. _Just watch me_.

"I wonder, are you three going to just stand there like fools, or are you going to fight me?" he asked the three warriors, who were still looking around them stupidly.

Terrion let out a growl. "Damian," he hissed. "It has been a long time. Prepare to die."

"Motherfucker, I was born prepared to die," Damian hissed back.

"Well then," Terrion rasped, "Shall we?" he asked, drawing his sword.

"There's one thing you forgot, even all those years back," Damian replied, eyes turning silver. "I fight with my powers, not by weapons. You have NO chance in hell to defeat me." He laughed as he spoke. Then he waved his hand in the air. At once, the entire area went dark.

"Where'd he go?" Nicolai asked as he began shaking with fear.

Damian let out another laugh. "Bet you can't find me now, eh, Terrion? You and your bitches will have to wait another day, then." With that, he used his powers of teleportation to launch himself into the trees above his enemies.

"Where are you?" Lysander growled. "Come out, you wuss."

Damian continued to laugh. "Aww," he teased. "Don't tell me you're _still_ afraid of the dark, you _minara_. You should be ashamed."

Lysander was more than pissed off now. "Did you just call me what I think you did?" he snarled.

"Asshole—exactly what I called you. I tire of this game now," Damian replied, vanishing into the darkness.

Once again, the warriors—collectively called the Order of the Falcon—were left in the dark. "We'll get him, sooner or later," Terrion growled. "That you can count on."

"Yeah, I hope so," Lysander growled. "I want his head."

Another evil laugh rang in the air as Damian materialized once again in front of the trio. "That you will _never, EVER_ have," he grinned, fangs sliding from their sheaths. "You can try, Lysandra, but be warned. I have gotten stronger and more powerful in the past 2,000 years. Don't underestimate me, or my gang. Got me? Also, if you touch my Anastasia, I swear upon all that is unholy that I will do more than hurt you."

"Sure," Lysander taunted. "And don't call me Lysandra."

Damian laughed again. "As you wish, Lysandra. Ooh, I do enjoy when you get so mad. I should do this more often. Especially when I break your face. Or separate it from the rest of your body when I get through with you."

Lysander began to draw his sword, but put it back, due to the fact that it was still dark and he couldn't see for anything. "Grr," he hissed. "This is so NOT funny, Nightwalker," he swore.

"Wasn't meant to be," Damian said, his eyes glowing. "I see what my plan really meant to do—annoy the living hell out of you. Glad to see it works. Now I am really tired of this game." He disappeared once again into the darkness.

Terrion hissed. "We'll get them—and then take their women. They don't deserve to have them, especially because of the way they treated women back in the day. That is cruel beyond reason."

"I think not," came another voice. All three Falcons turned around to face the source of the voice.

"Damian, if that is you again," Terrion snarled. "I swear I'll..."

Unfortunately for them, the voice was not Damian's, but Hunter's instead. Nicolai recognized it at once.

"It's Hunter," he said. "Hunter wants to play his freaky mind games with us now."

Hunter howled with laughter. "You, if I remember, Nicolai, were always afraid to tell me anything...much less give me an order to assassinate someone. So I don't know what your puny little mind is thinking. And also, shut up, before I make you—it also makes no sense to draw weapons against me, because it is clear to me that you can't see where I am anyway."

"That's what he thinks," Lysander grumbled as Terrion tried to make a fire.

Hunter sensed what Terrion was doing, and pointed at the fire, instantly putting it out. "Nice try, Terrion. Again, it _won't_ work. You'll just have to do without any of that shit, or suffer the consequences."

"No fair!" Nicolai yelled, standing up.

Hunter glared at him through the darkness. "What was that, Nicolai?" he growled. "Coward, sit your yellow ass back down before I make you."

Nicolai, who was now quaking with fear, sat back down.

Hunter just laughed at him. "How did you wind up being a warlord? You can't fight for beans."

"I can to fight!" Nicolai yelled again.

"Shut your face, before I make you," Hunter said. "You sicken me. All you do is talk, and do NOTHING to back it up. So save it."

Once again, Nicolai kept his mouth shut.

Hunter burst out laughing. "That's a good little bitch," he cooed. "Be good, or Hunter's going to be a very angry man."

Nicolai stared into the darkness. "I'll just behave."

Lysander looked over at him. "Don't let him scare you! What happened to that mouth of yours? Use it against him for once."

"I-I can't," Nicolai wailed.

"Wuss," Hunter growled as he disappeared. "Happy hunting," he laughed.

Once again, the Falcons were alone in the darkness. "We have to get them," Terrion whispered.

"That we will," Nicolai said as a smile crept onto his face. "That we will."

"Good," Lysander said. "Now you're talking. We just have to make sure to get them when they're down—which will be hard to do when they're trying to break us."

Terrion settled himself down to sleep. "Come on, guys," he said. "Maybe if we sleep, we can refresh ourselves for the next time they try anything."

They soon fell asleep, with Xavier now watching them through the darkness.


	38. Beginnings

Chapter 36- Beginnings: A History of the Order of the Falcon

The Order of the Falcon was a sect of warriors (mainly warlords) that prided themselves on hiring out mercenaries to do their dirty deeds. The sect was organized in Sofia, Bulgaria as far back as 840. The members were known as the Falcons, and they were recognized because of the birds they used to track their prey. The founding fathers of the Order of the Falcon were against hiring mercenaries that were not mortal, but minds were changed in 1000, when some of the Falcons decided to hire some inhuman allies to help them with their work.

They should have really thought better when they were deciding to hire these inhuman allies—it wouldn't have cost them so many lives.

Those allies turned out to be the Nightwalkers. Boy, were they wrong to hire them or what? I sure as hell think so.

When the Nightwalkers had been called on to do the Falcons' dirty work, it had been 1026—which had meant that they worked with the Falcons for nearly 74 years by the time 1100 rolled around. Why the Falcons decided to break their contract with the Nightwalkers is a different story.

Let's get to the reason why the Falcons hired the Nightwalkers.

For starters, the Nightwalkers were very useful in cleaning up house—literally.

The Falcons tested the Nightwalkers on a trial basis for three years—1027 for Damian, 1028 for Hunter, and 1029 for Xavier—before they found they could trust them to do their bidding.

**Flashback: Sofia, 1027**

_Damian, Hunter, and Xavier sat quietly in the common room of the Falcons' headquarters, waiting to show their prospective employers who they really were and how useful they could be in infiltrating enemy lines._

**"**_Well, now," Terrion said to his fellow Falcons_, "_We need to test these creatures on how well they deal with enemies. Subject 1: Damian Zinesdiet. His ability to kill in dreams. How do we know that really works?" he asked._

_Damian let out a growl. "Let me show you," he taunted, and waved his hand. At once a frightened enemy lieutenant was brought into the room by two of the Falcons. "Put him in that chair," he instructed them._

_"Yes, sir," the men replied as they tossed the frightened man into the chair. _

_"Now, gentlemen," Damian continued, "Watch and prepare to be amazed as I show __you how my dreamkilling really works." He cast a sleeping spell on the man, which almost immediately put him to sleep. Damian closed his eyes as well, and began to chant an incantation that would allow him to go inside the man's dreams._

_The Falcons watched closely as the man began to shake in his sleep-induced state. Suddenly he began to moan and toss about. With a final scream, the man became still. He was dead._

_Silence was heard throughout the room. For several minutes, no one uttered a sound._

_Damian slowly opened his eyes, which had turned silver. "Well, now," he hissed. "Do I need to demonstrate more, or are you satisfied?"_

_Terrion spoke first. "Amazing," he said. "I don't need to see more. That was amazing."_

Damian had his ways of getting rid of enemies, which included his ever-effective dreamkilling ability. The Falcons were afraid of this ability at first, but when they realized that Damian could destroy an entire army with this talent, they decided to give him a chance.

They gave Hunter a chance as well because his negotiating was another useful skill. Hunter was able to make deals with the enemy, which both intrigued and made the Falcons—as well as the Nightwalkers—richer. He would talk deals with enemy captains until a deal was made—and then when the captains thought they were walking out with what they thought was a good deal, he would strike, killing them within seconds. The Falcons, who were listening in on the other side of the meeting room, would run into the room—only to find Hunter feeding on the dead man (or men), and a few bags of gold neatly stacked in a corner. It was only after Hunter threatened to kill them as well did they learn that having him around was a good thing.

**Flashback: Sofia, 1028**

_"Subject 2: Hunter Majistal. Apparently he can negotiate to a person's doom."_

_"How is that possible?" Nicolai asked. "There is no such thing."_

_Hunter was growing more and more irritated with Nicolai's attitude. "How about you shut your face and let me explain. Did you give Damian all this mouth? Sheesh."_

_Nicolai shut his mouth and let Hunter talk._

_"That's a good little bitch. Anyway, as I was about to say, my talent is simpler than that of Damian and Xavier's. I can talk deals with all sorts of people. But if you doubt me, I will kill you as well as the enemy themselves. Do we understand each other, or should I start killing you all?"_

_Nicolai shook his head. "That wouldn't be necessary, Hunter. Trust me. Just show us how this talent works."_

_"My pleasure," Hunter replied, a smile on his face._

_"This should be fun," Lysander snickered._

_Hunter whipped his head around and stared at Lysander. "For shame," he began. "You won't be able to talk during this time, Lysander." With that being said, his eyes turned dark blue. "Try talking now, motherfucker."_

_Lysander opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Once he realized he couldn't talk, he began to freak out, and his hands began flailing wildly. _

_Damian and Xavier burst out laughing. "Good job, Hunt," Xavier said. "Wait till it's my turn. I have a LOT in store for these fools." _

_"Anyway, I can talk deals with anyone, as I have said before," Hunter said. "I can talk anything, from money to women for sex. The bad thing for these idiots is that they think they're walking out with a deal, when in fact they are walking out to their deaths. The minute they try to leave, I strike, killing them almost instantly. And all your money is still there—everyone gets richer by the second. Isn't that what business is all about nowadays?" he asked._

_"Sure is," Nicolai said. "I love that ability! It'll bring us millions of gold coins—or even bars of gold."_

_"Figured you would," Hunter said, smirking. "Just put me to talk to the English and see what would happen." He turned to Lysander, who was still freaking out._

_"You can talk now."_

_Lysander gasped for air. "Why I ought to—."_

_"Ought to what?" Hunter challenged._

_"Nothing," Lysander said, looking at the ground._

_Hunter laughed. "Never, EVER, under any circumstances, undermine my ability," he said. "Or I will make your life a living hell, got me?"_

_Lysander shook his head, shaking with fear._

Xavier, on the other hand, was just as dangerous as Damian and Hunter. His talent was his power to manipulate people into doing whatever he wanted them to do. He could fight just as well as everyone else, but he was able to kill an entire army with just a wave of his hand. Pretty simple, wouldn't you say? Out of the three Nightwalkers, it was Xavier the Falcons grew more and more afraid to trust, mainly because of this talent.

**Flashback: Sofia, 1029**

_"Subject 3: Xavier Donzenza. Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Lysander asked his fellow Falcons._

_"This one is capable of killing large groups of people, from what I hear," one of his comrades answered._

_"Is that so?"_

_"It is," Xavier huffed. "Care to test me, minara?"_

_"What the fuck did you just call me?" Lysander was growing irritated with Xavier's attitude._

_"Asshole. Which is exactly what you are."_

_Lysander drew his sword and pointed it at Xavier's throat. "Do NOT make me do something I will regret, demon," he growled._

_"Do it. I dare you," Xavier taunted._

_"Hey!" Terrion shouted. "That is enough. Look outside. What does everyone see?"_

_"Oh, my God. He's killed all our prisoners! But how?" Nicolai asked._

_"Simple. I just used my powers of manipulation, and they did the rest of the work."_

_The Falcons were in shock. No one dared judge Xavier after that._

_All three Nightwalkers stared at the Falcons and laughed. "Don't think for a second about blackmailing us or any of that shit," Damian hissed at them._

_"Yes, because if you do, we'll be back for you," Hunter continued._

_"What they said," Xavier growled._

_"Of course not," Terrion said, shivering._

Of course, times changed, which meant that the Falcons were now thinking of ways to get out of their contract with the Nightwalkers, since all their enemies were rapidly dying and/or escaping the wrath of the Nightwalkers themselves.

This was when they decided to go to war with their bloodsucking soldiers for hire. That war had dire consequences, as many of the Falcons were slaughtered by the Nightwalkers, who grew stronger and more powerful by the second.

Of course, as history has already said, the Nightwalkers won the battle, but the three main Falcons, Terrion Jruekare, Lysander Meinskal, and Nicolai Draginskoi, had decided they no longer wanted to deal with these creatures.

In 1100, they hired a local bricklayer (whose name is unknown) to create three coffins out of lapis lazuli for them. To avoid any altercation, the man did as he was instructed to.

Once night fell, and the Nightwalkers awoke from their sleep, it was on. Another battle between ensued between both parties, and within the hour, the Nightwalkers had been overpowered and introduced to their fate: 2,000 years of sleep in the lapis coffins.

The Nightwalkers slept through those 2,000 years, and finally woke in 3100, they were bloodthirstier and more dangerous than before.

Nicolai, Terrion, and Lysander were now in for a whole LOT of a world of hurt because of this deed.

And now Damian, Hunter, and Xavier were going to get even with them...or die trying.

These guys had a whole new reason to be afraid...


	39. Unleashed Rage

Chapter 37- Unleashed Rage

Xavier continued to watch the Falcons, but he made it more difficult for them to find him. He made sure to conceal himself within the trees in the forest surrounding the Manor, but he did it so he could get a scare out of Nicolai.

Nicolai had always been the scaredy cat of the Falcons, and while he, Damian, and Hunter had worked for them, the three had always planned different schemes to try to scare him. These plans worked almost all of the time.

Hunter was right about one thing when it came to Nicolai—he was afraid of EVERYTHING. How exactly did he wind up being one of the most powerful warlords the world had ever seen?

Good question.

The world may never, EVER know.

Xavier sat on his haunches in one of the pine trees surrounding the Falcons' campsite. "Hmm," he murmured. "Wonder if they like being in the dark?"

He set off a light at the end of the forest, which attracted the attention of the Falcons themselves.

"What was that?" Nicolai asked.

"Looks like some kind of light at the end of the forest," Terrion said.

"Let's chase that light. It's the only way we can see in this dratted place," Lysander whispered.

_Yeah, right_, Xavier thought to himself. _That is what you think._

He laughed at his thoughts and concentrated on his plan to make the Falcons lose their last nerves trying to chase an imaginary light.

"Hurry up," Lysander growled. "It's getting faint."

Terrion began huffing. "Like hell it will," he said. "I'll make it stay put."

"And how do you propose that?"

All three Falcons whipped around. "Who said that?" Terrion hissed.

"I did."

The trio turned around to face their worst nightmare: Xavier.

Lysander and Nicolai ran for cover. Terrion just stood there, shocked out of his mind.

"Well? What are you just standing there for? Oh, I get it. Boo," Xavier growled at them.

All three Falcons began shaking with fear. They hadn't forgotten what Xavier had done to them in the past—nor did they want to forget either.

"Sit down, or I will unleash my rage upon you."

They all sat down, Xavier resuming his perch on the pine tree he had been hiding in.

"Go ahead, Xavier. Do your worst," Nicolai challenged.

Terrion and Lysander stared at Nicolai in shock. "Why did you do that?" they asked him.

"Felt brave, I guess."

"Why now?" Terrion shrieked.

"I don't know."

Lysander remained quiet throughout the whole incident.

"What a good boy," Xavier cooed. "Finally, something your mother taught you did you some good. And why can't you two behave like Lysandra here?"

Lysander was seething. "Don't...call...me...Lysandra!" he shouted.

Xavier's eyes turned dark blue. "No talking for you, bitch," he snarled, looking at Lysander as his eyes changed color.

Xavier was mad now.

NOT a good idea to make him even madder.

The look on Lysander's face was priceless—it was the same wild look that he had when Hunter used the same trick on him centuries before—minus the flailing arms.

Xavier burst out laughing. "Looks like you're having a hard time talking—just like you did back in the day...are you okay?" he continued, trying his hardest not to laugh at his fallen foe. "I think this is funny. Maybe I should do that to you two," he continued.

Nicolai and Terrion shook their heads no—which did nothing to save them from Xavier's wrath.

"Now my rage is unleashed."

Xavier turned to the Falcons again. "I repeat," he snarled, "Do you think you two deserve this same fate? Answer me now, or else."

"Or else what?" Terrion yelled.

That was the final straw. Xavier was not to be held reliable for what was to hit the Falcons next.

_Shouldn't have done that_, Damian and Hunter's voices surrounded the frightened Falcons.

_Fuck them_, Xavier growled. _They did this to themselves—no way to change that._

_No, I understand that_, Hunter said. _Make us proud and make 'em pay_.

_Hm_, Damian murmured. _This is going to be too easy_.

"Why don't all you cowards show yourselves?" Nicolai challenged.

Uh oh—this was not going to go well, especially with Nicolai's sudden bravery. This did more than make Xavier mad.

Xavier waved his hand in the air, and pointed it toward the Falcons. Suddenly they felt themselves being lifted in the air.

"What the hell?" Nicolai shouted.

Lysander's face showed a mask of pure horror—since he was still unable to say anything.

"Hey! Put us down!" Terrion howled.

"No!" Xavier roared, spinning his hand around—which in turn made the frightened warriors begin to spin in mid air. "You deserve this, for all the pain you have caused me, Dame, and Hunt. I think I should let you stay there."

_Atta boy, _Damian said, a smile on his face as he and Hunter watched from the Manor.

_That's it_, Hunter whispered. _Leave them there. Come back to the Manor and watch them with us._

Xavier was on the ground laughing his head off. He then pointed to the earth, and three vines launched into the air, wrapping themselves around the Falcons.

"I tire of this," Xavier said, yawning. "You can stay like that for the time being. Oh, and Lysander," he said. "You may want this back." He looked at him, eyes turning light blue. "Go ahead and speak."

Lysander looked at his comrades, then began to scream obscenities at Xavier.

"Son of a bitch! Let us down!" he shouted. "I swear, when I get my hands on you, I'll—."

Xavier whipped his head around. "You'll what? Bite me? Hah!"

With that being said, he turned around in the direction of the Manor, leaving the Falcons to hang above the forest.

All the Falcons heard before he left was his demonic laughter as he walked out of the woods.

"You can't leave us here!"

"Watch me, motherfuckers. Just watch me."

Xavier was still angry as all hell. He was going to stay that way for the rest of the evening—his quiet time with Eve was just going to have to wait till he cooled off.

Then he disappeared into the darkness—the ultimate rage had been unleashed.

Damian and Hunter were ever so happy—for this was just the beginning of what was to fall upon the Falcons.


	40. Mating Rites, pt 1: Finding Answers

Chapter 38- Mating Rites, pt. 1: Finding Answers

When it came to the Nightwalkers, there was one question that had boggled the minds of many since the beginning of time. However, historians are still trying to find the answer to this question, which was the following:

How did the Nightwalkers find themselves mates? And what did they do in order to find the right mate?

Many historians have searched for this answer for years, and have come up with nothing, while some say that it was an elaborate ceremony that was used to search for true love.

Others say that a ritual or a spell of some sort was used to seek out the One—meaning the lucky (or unlucky) woman that was right for the Nightwalkers.

Meanwhile, historians have looked into the different ways that Damian, Hunter, and Xavier searched for their mates. They came up with the following:

The usage of magic spells/charms on mortal women—very useful at times.

Luring innocent women to their lair for "fun times" (most of the time, these women didn't return home), which included sex, sex, and more sex (I know, they were horndogs—they couldn't help it).

Watching from afar—without being seen.

The usage of music to intrigue and interest their potential mates—Xavier was very interested in music, and would play the lyre to lure his mates to him.

Shapeshifting—Damian preferred this method only because some of the women he came across were hugely involved in the protection of animals, and he was rumored to turn into a giant white tiger that would scare off hunters/poachers.

Incantations (which usually tied in with the spells/charms) to speed the process of mate hunting.

Kidnapping potential mates—Hunter preferred this method because he figured the way to a woman's heart was nothing but fear itself.

However they did it, the Nightwalkers made pretty damn sure to find who they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with.

Pretty amazing, huh?

I would think so. If I could find me someone by using any of the above mentioned tactics, I would be in heaven.

Hell, maybe I could find my Damian, Hunter, or Xavier if I wanted to—ha ha ha.

Anyway, as I was saying, historians were pretty intrigued by the Nightwalkers—only because they were the only inhuman beings that went to great lengths to find themselves someone to love and who would love them back.

Most of the time, however, Damian, Hunter, and Xavier would feel that they made a huge mistake when they picked their mates. This meant that when they found a mate, and the girl was too frightened to acknowledge them, they would distance themselves from her.

But this also meant that the girl died an early death—the appetites of the Nightwalkers weren't easily sated, and what use was a mate that went back to her home?

Apparently, she was of no use to her family—especially after being marked by the Nightwalkers.

The Nightwalkers made good use of all the failed matings by behaving in a way similar to the female praying mantis—but instead of biting heads, they bit necks and drank the blood of the doomed women.

Hmm, very interesting. I wouldn't want to die like that.

Historians have thought these methods were complex, but they really weren't. All they had to do was use any of them, and wait to see what happened next.

Now to see what each Nightwalker preferred...


	41. Brunettes for the Beast

Chapter 39- Mating Rites, pt. 2: Brunettes for the Beast

As the eldest of the Nightwalkers, Damian was the one who set the example of how Hunter and Xavier, as well as himself, were to behave if they wanted to acquire a mate.

This didn't always work out that way, because Damian was a bit of a beast when he was aroused, and this behavior showed when his inner animal came out to play—meaning that he would go a bit overboard when he was trying to impress the women in whichever city or country he and the other two were in.

Of course, Damian had a preference when it came to his women: brunettes and ONLY brunettes. Damian was and had always been a fan of women of this hair type because of the way the color resembled his natural eye color, which was brown.

When asked by one of his mates why he liked to be around brunettes so much, Damian simply stated that the color reminded him of his eyes and also because their blood was as rich as the color itself.

I don't know if that frightened the women away or made them interested as to why Damian would say that—maybe it did both. Either way, Damian made it a point to attract someone, some way or another.

Now, I am sure you are asking, "How did Damian always get his girl?"

Good question.

Damian was very talented when it came to shapeshifting.

That is, when he wasn't killing people in their sleep.

He would entertain his conquest by turning into all sorts of animals, such as tigers and lions. This tactic worked out pretty well because most of the women he courted were into saving animals from being approached by poachers and hunters. He would help out by getting rid of these men—literally—by turning into the fabled "giant white tiger" that was rumored to roam around the Greek countryside—and attacking them, killing some in the process. All was well after that—or so Damian thought. No matter what he did, these men kept coming, and he kept on killing.

No matter what he did, the women kept throwing themselves on him. Maybe it was the thrill of the kill that turned these gals on.

Damn! Even I am shocked as to how he did that. Oh, well, back to the story. There is so much more to tell about the leader of the Nightwalkers and his many brunette love interests—wow. What a man, I must say.

Damian was an interesting character, in and out of the bedroom. He was very impatient when it came to lovemaking, and the beast in him showed itself when his patience grew thin. That in turn moved him to do anything to ease himself of this tension, which included finding ways to unleash his inner animal without frightening his potential mate. To make sure this tension went away, he would plan an eventful evening, beginning with a trail of roses leading to his lair. Then he would draw a nice, relaxing hot bath—which he would be sitting in until the lady of the hour arrived—for the two of them. Next came the freshly cut roses in the sitting room and kitchen table. Then the meal that he would cook, based on all her favorite foods, would be placed on the dining room table. Finally, Damian would give his lady a massage—usually this would be for an hour or so—to relax her a bit more (even though the bath would have done most of this work).

The only way Damian would know if the treatment he was giving worked was by listening to the sounds his mate to be would make.

Uh oh. Didn't this turn him on as well?

Good question. Those same sounds the women were making made him extremely horny, making him think how much he needed—and wanted—to get her into his bed. Once she was in the bed of the "White Tiger," as he was nicknamed (this was because of the animal protector status he had received), he could do what and as he pleased to her.

Damian didn't care how fast he was going—all he knew was that he needed sex, and wanted it—right then and there. He did his women in every position he knew how—upside down, standing up, sideways, from behind—you name it, he did it. Surprisingly, some of these women didn't protest, just as long as they allowed him to please them in the process. Damian himself was quite pleased with the way this was working out, and it allowed him to choose which woman he wanted as his mate.

This was truly a good way to make a decision, because it allowed Damian to have a mate each year. He didn't have to do too much work with choosing a mate with this system—the women were chosen for him by city statesmen—who worked out a deal with the woman's family, promising that Damian would take care of her.

Sadly to say, if Damian felt that he made a wrong decision, or his mate was unfaithful, the family of his mate would suffer—badly—starting with the woman herself. It was stated in the last chapter that if the Nightwalkers made a bad choice with their mates, they would kill her by biting her and draining her—all while she slept.

Then he would attack her family, one by one, until there was no one left to tell anyone what had happened.

Scary, but true.

Damian, as we have learned already, was brutal when he needed to be. It was not a good thing to be on his bad side, and people, especially the women he was with, needed to know that.

Throughout the centuries, women began to fear Damian's name because it was associated with instant death if he wasn't pleased with them. Maybe this was why he had to be so brutal with his latest conquest, Anastasia—she fought back—and made him see that she meant business.

After all, she was a brunette, as he wanted, but she also had a mind of her own, unlike the ladies of his past. She fought when she felt threatened. In the past, she would have been disciplined, but Damian saw through that visage and saw a broken woman who needed a man that would love her for what she really and truly was.

This was for real, and he needed to see that, without being such a monster.

Brunettes were definitely for the beast in Damian.


	42. The Blondes of a Brute

Chapter 40- Mating Rites, pt. 3: The Blondes of a Brute

Now we go on to talking about Hunter. The so-called brute of the Nightwalkers was a deadly force to reckon with, but apparently he had a softer side to his hardcore exterior.

This softer side had to do with his love of women—here is the answer to that question, before it was asked.

The women Hunter loved and preferred were blondes.

According to ancient scrolls, Hunter was believed to adore these women and their hair color because he was reminded of the sunrise he could never see. Since the Nightwalkers were nocturnal creatures, they were not able to be out in the sun, much less see it, because the minute they stepped out into the light of the sun, they were done for.

Hunter also believed that the blood of these women served as a "fountain of youth" for him. How else could he have looked so young for being a centuries old bloodsucking monster?

That would be an answer historians would be asking for a long, LONG, time.

I think I know the answer to that one. It's a pretty simple answer, I promise.

Here is one possibility—blood consumption.

Hunter could have absorbed (and/or drank) large amounts of blood from his lady friends as he courted them. Hypnosis was another tactic used in his method to acquire a mate. How this worked was simple: Hunter would watch his blonde lady friends from a dark place. As he watched the girls from his faraway spot, his eyes would turn green, and within seconds, one of these ladies would catch his eye and begin walking towards that same spot, where he was waiting to have a taste of their blood. Once he bit them, they were his to play with—and he made damn sure to do more than play with them.

It wasn't uncommon to find Hunter dead asleep in the middle of a sea of blonde haired women—in fact, centuries ago in Bulgaria, there was a time he slept so long after hunting. When Damian and Xavier went in to try to wake him, they found themselves in for more of a surprise when they saw him asleep with about a dozen women surrounding him, his fangs implanted in the neck of one of them. Instead of being furious, they let him sleep, and silently cheered him on.

When he did wake up, Hunter continued his meal—right in front of the other two.

But that is another story.

Here is the other possibility—kidnapping.

Hunter believed that women should afraid of things, and so he resorted to kidnapping these women when they were most vulnerable. He would watch them while they slept, or while they did their daily chores. Then he would decide if they were to be kidnapped or not. If they were to be kidnapped, he would map out a plan on how to get her.

This was an interesting tactic—it worked all the time, and Hunter was pleased with his work.

Hunter was not as traditional with women like Damian was—meaning that as soon as he found his victim, he went right to business—there was no rose petals or fancy dinners.

Sex was the first thing on Hunter's mind. As soon as he got his girl, it was on. It was rumored that Hunter had trained himself to get past the little things and cut right to the chase.

Hunter was the king of sexual positions—seriously. He knew every possible sexual position in the book—literally.

Let's just say he knew how to use his tongue—and a few other body parts—very well. When he pleased a woman, she was very satisfied—and she let him know it. It wasn't uncommon to read books about the Nightwalkers and not see a picture of Hunter performing sexual acts upon a woman who was put over the edge with his carnal prowess.

But, for these women, a price came with great sex—their blood.

The only way Hunter could perform was by being what he was—a brutish, bloodsucking beast. Remember, the nourishment that came from human blood gave the Nightwalkers their powers—which meant that the more they drank, the more powerful they became.

There were times when Hunter slowed down a bit on his performances. This was because of a lack of blood in his system, which meant that he would feed while he was in the middle of a "fuck session."

Sadly to say, the woman never noticed that Hunter was quietly feeding on her when they were occupied. Most of them never got to see the sun rise ever again. Hunter dealt with unfaithful mates by snapping them like a twig—literally—then dumping the body in a river or ditch.

When the time finally came to choose a mate, Hunter looked at the following qualities.

Height.

Weight.

Shade of blonde hair (ash, etc.).

Hair type (short, long, etc.).

Body type—Hunter preferred long, leggy types—not too many of those in Bulgaria at that time, so he made do with what was there.

Hm, isn't this what most men look at nowadays?

Blondes—a wonderful gift for even the brutish of bloodsucking monsters.


	43. The Rogue vs The Redheads

Chapter 41- Mating Rites, pt. 4: The Rogue vs. The Redheads

Finally, we get up to Xavier...what exactly can we say about him?

Easy—Xavier was the quiet one of the bunch—and you know what they say about the quiet ones—you can't trust them very well.

Women were right to not trust this Nightwalker when he was wining and dining them—it was their last meal if they did decide to put their trust in him.

So, how exactly did the rogue Nightwalker get his mate? Here's the answer.

Music.

Xavier was more than interested in music, and in order to make his move and get himself a mate, he took lyre—and singing—lessons with one of his servant girls, who made sure her master was well educated in music before he went out on his search for the perfect mate.

In Xavier's case, music was a great way to impress the ladies.

Here's what happened: Xavier would sit outside his intended mate's home and play a song for them—on the lyre, of course. Then if she liked what she heard, she would come outside while he was still playing, and sit there until he was done.

That was all the ammunition he needed in order to make a move.

Maybe there was another song, maybe there wasn't. Either way, Xavier made the decision on that one.

Most of the time, he would play another song just for the hell of it.

Again, either way, it was his decision on that one.

The women X preferred were redheads. He really had no reason for that, he just liked the color red—which represented blood.

Back in the day, Xavier could be witnessed on city streets constantly feeding on a redhead or two—or even three or four—by Damian and Hunter, who thought he was possessed.

When that happened, a gruff "What? I was hungry," was the answer.

Let's face it—the quiet boy visage worked like a charm, and Damian would never doubt that—neither would Hunter.

But let's go back to how X got his mate.

For starters, he totally skipped Damian's traditional methods, right along with Hunter's brutish tactics. He developed his own skill set, which included the playing of the lyre and singing. This set of tactics also included his ability to communicate with the earth, which allowed him to conjure flowers for his intended mates.

Maybe this tactic was the most successful, because the earth is a powerful weapon when used by someone of even more power—and X was that guy.

Whatever the case was, a LOT of women were turned on by him.

Another thing Xavier didn't indulge in right away was sex. As much as he was a sex fiend, he chose to take his time with his gal pals, choosing to entertain them with his music.

Of course, Damian and Hunter didn't agree with his methods, and both laughed hysterically at this.

Again, this tactic worked—and only X got the last laugh—he figured he didn't have to show off to get a girl to notice him.

To make a long story short, Xavier managed to keep a mate a lot longer than Damian or Hunter—by using his gift of song.

Maybe he'll use this talent on his latest mate, Eve...who knows?

After all, the rogue had to have his redheads.


	44. Deadly Intentions

Chapter 42- Deadly Intentions

The Falcons were still in the clutches of the vines that Xavier had set them into. All three were angry as hell—and afraid, because any little thing could set Xavier off at any time.

"This is outrageous!" Lysander swore. "What does he expect us to do? Stay up here for all eternity?"

Nicolai shook his head. "Looks so," he said.

"You just had to open your big fucking mouth, didn't you?" Terrion growled at him. "Who knows how long it will be until they let us down?"

_Maybe never_, Xavier thought to himself. He sat in the great hall watching the Falcons try to wriggle their way out of the vines. _In fact, keep struggling—those vines are instructed to tighten around you each time you move._

He laughed even harder as he watched them struggling.

"What's so funny?" Damian asked.

Xavier pointed at the Falcons and their futile efforts to break free from the vines. "Look at them," he said. "Pretty funny, eh?"

Damian shook his head. "Damn, X," he said, looking out the window. "Are you going to leave them there, or kill them?"

"Whichever comes first."

Hunter began laughing. "Hmm, I think X will let them get crushed to death," he said, a smile on his face.

"Maybe you're right," Damian said. "As he said, whichever comes first."

Xavier continued to watch them with a smirk, then ventured to the forest to check on his captives.

"How are you doing? Are you going to be okay?" he asked the rather angry Falcons in a singsong voice.

"Get us down from here, asshole," Lysander growled at him. "Get us down at once!" he continued.

"Or what?" Xavier challenged. "Trust me, you will NEVER get down from there. EVER."

Again, the Falcons continued to struggle, the vines getting tighter and tighter around their waists.

Damian and Hunter were quickly getting angry. "Stop struggling," they commanded. "You'll lose your strength faster just by letting the vines continue to do their work."

The Falcons continued to struggle.

And struggle.

And struggle. Which finally ended when they grew tired of fighting the vines off.

Hunter laughed. "Aww," he teased. "Are you tired—already? Poor babies," he continued as his eyes turned dark blue.

"Uh oh," Lysander said. "Not this again."

Hunter hissed at him. "Not you, dumbass," he said. "This is for the other two, unless you want some too." With that, he took Terrion and Nicolai's voices away from them.

Terrion and Nicolai began freaking out—they were afraid, now that they couldn't talk.

Lysander, scared out of his mind, shook his head no.

"Thought so," Hunter said, a menacing look on his face.

Xavier burst out laughing. "Look at him," he taunted. "He is so scared, the big baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Lysander howled.

Damian pointed a finger at him. "Watch your mouth, baby," he said. "Or else."

"Just kill him," Xavier snarled.

"No!" Damian growled. "Let him watch his friends suffer."

Terrion and Nicolai were still freaking out.

All three Nightwalkers were laughing.

"This is so cool," Hunter said. "I'm enjoying this show. Forget Keeping Up Appearances—this is WAY better."

"Just a minute!" Xavier said. "Don't make fun of my Evie's favorite show."

"Who was making fun?" Hunter asked. "I was just saying that this was funner than one of Hyacinth's ridiculous candelight suppers."

"Hunt has a point," Damian said. "Those suppers are so ridiculous—this makes them look like she did nothing at all."

Xavier shook his head. "I agree."

Damian pointed to the ground. "How 'bout I bury them for a bit—while they're still tied up with the vines?" he asked.

"Why not?" Xavier asked. "I think that is a good idea."

Damian smiled. "Fine by me," he said. "Time for you boys to go take a nap—a DIRT nap." He laughed as the ground beneath the vines opened up and began to lower the vines into its bowels. Once the ground closed up again, the Nightwalkers turned to leave the forest.

"Good night, boys," Hunter said as he, X, and Damian retreated back to the Manor.


	45. A Long Night

Chapter 43- A Long Night

Lysander woke to find himself as well as Terrion and Nicolai no longer in the air—but in the ground—and still tangled in the vines that restrained them.

And he was beginning to grow more and more afraid, especially because of how insane Xavier was—and could be when provoked into rage.

"Oh, God," he shrieked. "They want to kill us—and by any means necessary—we've got to get out of here."

Meanwhile, Nicolai and Terrion began to wake up as well—miraculously enough, they had their voices back—and began to yell and scream when they realized they were in the cold earth.

"How the hell did we wind up in here?" a frightened Nicolai asked.

Terrion hissed at him. "Don't you remember, asshole? It was your big fucking mouth that did this to us. You just HAD to get smart with Xavier—and look where we are now. Thanks a LOT, Niko."

Nicolai winced, remembering that the incident was his fault. He had picked a very bad time to be smart—especially to a Nightwalker.

"And don't think you can say sorry," Lysander said. "Not now, at least. These blasted vines—how in the name of Christ are we getting out of this? And we're fucking buried alive—more to worry about."

**Flashback: Budapest, 1064**

_"Well, well," Damian taunted. "What do we have here? Three crybabies, that's what."_

_Nicolai, Terrion, and Lysander stood before the Nightwalkers, frightened out of their minds._

_Hunter snickered at the question. "I know," he said. "Three shitheads who call themselves Falcons, Dame. What are you going to do to them?"_

_"Not me," Damian said. "X."_

_Hunter smiled at Xavier. "Do your worst, X."_

_"My pleasure," was all Xavier said as he walked towards the three Falcons. "What should I do to you? We told you not to mess with us. But yet, you did so. What do you have to say for yourselves?"_

_Nicolai spoke first. "We're not apologizing, why should we? We didn't do anything wrong."_

_Lysander shook his head. "I agree with Nicolai. I'm not apologizing."_

_Terrion laughed. "My guys are right. Who are we apologizing to? NOT you three."_

_Xavier's eyes turned crimson. "Take it back, minara."_

_Hunter and Damian looked at each other. "Uh oh," Damian murmured. "They got him mad now."_

_"Oh, well—bound to happen," Hunter replied._

_Xavier's eyes were still crimson. "You know what this means—you did more than get me mad. And now you'll see what happens when you tick me off." _

_Suddenly there was a huge crash. Three large vines burst through the castle wall, catching the Falcons by the surprise._

_"What the hell?" Terrion shouted as the vines wrapped around him, Nicolai, and Lysander. "Stop this ridiculousness this instant, you bastard."_

_Xavier laughed at them. "Not in your lifetime. Suffer, you fools."_

_The vines tightened around the Falcons even harder than before._

_Xavier turned to leave the room, his work done. Damian and Hunter followed suit and also turned to leave._

_"Sweet dreams, assholes," Hunter growled as Damian cast a sleeping charm on the Falcons._

_"Much better," Xavier whispered. "I hate their whining."_

Meanwhile, inside the Manor, Ayla, Anastasia, and Eve were waiting for their lovers to return to the house.

"God," Ayla grumbled. "What is taking them so long? I need to get laid—bad."

"Is that all you think about?" Eve asked. "That's not the only thing to think about."

Anastasia began laughing. "You only say that because you're still pure. We can't."

"Pure?" Eve shouted. "I won't be—whenever X feels the time is right." She turned on her heel and stormed off in the direction of her and Xavier's room.

Ayla and Anastasia looked at each other. "We're going to get it bad when Dame and Hunt get back."

_I feel it's right, darling Desert Rose. I honestly do,_ Xavier thought as he, Hunter, and Damian entered the house.

"Uh oh," Hunter said. Damian looked at him in surprise.

"What is it?" he asked.

"X is hornier than sin. Must have heard the ladies talking," Hunter explained.

Damian turned to look over at Xavier, whose eyes had long turned a light shade of gold. "You okay, X?"

Xavier looked at him. "Need...Evie...now," was all he said as he walked up the stairs towards his and Eve's room.

"Ladies? You there?" Xavier called.

Eve heard Xavier calling for her, Ayla, and Anastasia. "We're here, but Eve is in your room," Ayla answered.

X's eyes glowed again. "Perfect—I will go to her. I feel I need to...how do you say it? Pop her cherry, is it?" he asked as he opened the door to his room. "Excuse me, everyone, but right now, I need to give my little one a bit of attention."

"Whoa," Anastasia said, shocked. "When did you learn to say that?"

Damian ran his fingers through her hair. "He learned that phrase in some book he read in the study—also, he could feel Evie's longing for him—just like I am longing for you—and put two and two together. Pretty simple, darling."

Anastasia shook her head. "I understand...come here, my big teddy bear." She pulled him into a hug.

Damian wrinkled his brow. "Teddy bear?" he asked, returning the hug.

Hunter and Ayla burst out laughing. "Well, you look like a teddy bear," they said.

"Yeah, a big and strong teddy bear," Anastasia said. "Let's go relax, shall we, agapi mou?"

Damian smiled. "That we shall," he said as he picked her up and carried her up the stairs to their room.

Hunter looked at Ayla. "Maybe we should go to bed," he said.

"Let's do that," Ayla said, kissing his nose.

"I think that would be great," he said, picking her up and carrying her down the hall to their room.

Soon, silence filled the house, as everyone either retired to bed or to relax in the privacy of their rooms.


	46. The Discussion

Chapter 44- The Turning of the Maidens, pt. 1: The Discussion

Sleep was long and nourishing for the Nightwalkers that night.

The next night was full of excitement as Damian, Hunter, and Xavier woke wanting to see how their captives were doing in their "prison."

The girls, however, were up that very morning taking a stroll around the Manor, trying to acquaint themselves with the house.

"Damn, what a house this is!" Ayla said. "Guess we really haven't seen all of it, because we've only seen ONE room."

They burst out laughing at the comment.

Meanwhile, all three Nightwalkers could sense their mates' excitement—all while they were asleep.

_Sounds as if they're having a bit of fun,_ Xavier murmured.

_Sure does, eh, Teddy Bear?_ Hunter snickered.

_Very funny, _Damian hissed. _Don't call me that._

_Why?_ Hunter and Xavier asked. _It's cute that she gave you a nickname._

_I guess it is,_ Damian murmured, a smile on his face.

_Guess we never showed them anywhere but our rooms,_ Hunter said, frowning.

_Don't worry,_ Damian replied. _We'll do that in due time. We need to discuss something else._

_The Transformation._

_We'll get to that when we wake. In fact, I feel like getting up now anyway,_ Xavier said, promptly shutting off the telepathic link between them.

"Hmm," Anastasia said to Eve and Ayla, smiling. "I'm glad we found the kitchen. I'm starving."

There was soft laughter behind her. "I am too, Mama Bear."

"Hi, baby," she said as Damian wrapped his arms around her waist. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"I sure did, and thought about your sexy ass during that time," he said, a smile on his face.

"Oh, really?" she asked.

"Yes. And what I wanted to do to it once I got a hold of it," he answered, giving her derriere a tight squeeze as he did so.

"Ahem," a voice said behind them. Ayla and Eve stood in the doorway. "No PDA's. Please," they said, making gagging noises.

Hunter began to trail kisses down Ayla's neck. "Leave them alone, Ayl. You mean to tell me you wouldn't like that?"

"And you, Desert Rose. You wouldn't like that either?" Xavier asked, running his hands down Eve's back.

"Okay! Okay, we would. Now stop that," Ayla said, laughing.

"X, if you don't behave yourself..." Eve grinned.

Hunter and Xavier looked at each other. "Behave? What's that?" they asked, mischievous looks on their faces.

"You know full well what that means. Now get!" Eve giggled.

Damian began to laugh. "See what I started?" he asked, holding his sides as he continued to shake with laughter.

"Yes, I do," Anastasia began. "Damian Zinesdiet, you are a terrible man."

"Well then, Anastasia Parezides-Zinesdiet," Damian said, "You're the one who decided to stay here and be my mate."

Anastasia almost spit her drink on him. "When did I take the Zinesdiet name? Not that I don't want to."

"During the Sacrifice. When you said the ritual words." Damian laughed at having to remind her about the Sacrifice.

"Oh, I forgot. Still getting used to being the mate of a strong, powerful being like yourself. Anastasia Zinesdiet—I like it."

Now it was Hunter and Xavier's turn to gag.

Damian snickered. "How's that, boys? First your mates, and now you. Didn't your mothers ever tell you not to be silly like that?"

"Wait a minute," Eve said. "Did Ayla and I take on Hunter and X's names as well?"

Xavier gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Now you got it, Miss Kansperi-Donzenza."

Hunter also gave Ayla a kiss on the cheek. "And you as well, Miss Lantzere-Majistal. The ritual is similar to a marriage, and you still take on the married name. Do you like that idea?

Ayla and Eve shook their heads. "Of course."

"Now," Damian said as he cleared his throat. "We have something we need to discuss with you three. X, how about you start us off?"

Xavier shook his head. "What we need to talk about is the Transformation ritual. It's pretty simple—all it requires are two blood exchanges—one from us and one from you girls—to make it work. What happens is that you get the same powers that we have. For example, Evie, you would have all of my powers, including my ability to communicate with the earth—you would be able to call those same vines I used on the Falcons—and use them to protect yourself. Ana, you would have all of Damian's powers, including the ability to dreamkill. And Ayla, since you would have all of Hunter's powers, which include his more than superhuman strength and hypnosis, you would be more than able to bend people to your will. Am I getting through here?"

Ayla shook her head. "I get it—and hypnosis is such a strong ability. What if I accidentally injure someone in the process?"

"Hunter will teach you everything you want to know, and so will X and I," Damian reassured her. "We would never let you use those powers without us showing you how to properly use them."

Anastasia sat there, stunned. "Dreamkilling? Sounds a bit drastic, Teddy Bear. How will I know when I want to hurt someone? Or when I want to kill them?"

Damian looked into her eyes. "This is something I will do more than show you, Mama Bear. Dreamkilling is a very useful skill. I will privately teach you this one. Don't you worry," he said, kissing her hands.

"Hey, baby?" Eve said, her hands shaking. "Might I ask a question?"

Xavier took her shaking hands into his. "Go ahead, darling. Ask away."

"What exactly happened to the Falcons? I know they're not dead," she asked.

Xavier looked at her. "They're still in the forest, but buried in the ground—and still tangled in the vines."

A gasp escaped from Ayla, Anastasia, and Eve's lips. "Are they okay?" they asked.

"They're fine—they have enough air to stay there," Damian said. "Don't worry about them. They won't be hurting you—or anyone in this house—from where they are."

"Yeah. They're the ones who caused what happened to them when they decided to come here unannounced," Hunter growled.

"I agree," Xavier said, his eyes on Eve. "They were the stupid ones. Coming to this house when they know that the three of us communicate with each other telepathically—and can tell when there is danger nearby."

Anastasia's eyes suddenly darkened. "I know they wanted to hurt you by taking us—but why?"

"That I can answer, Mama Bear," Damian said. "They thought you were being mistreated—and/or killed. They saw that you weren't, and still wanted to make us suffer—but it was them who suffered when they stepped foot on these grounds. But who's suffering now?"

Anastasia's eyes grew even wider. "Why would they think that?" she asked. "Was it because of the Sacrifices?"

Hunter sighed. "Yes, of course, Ana."

Anastasia gasped. "What did you do?!"

Xavier stopped looking at Eve long enough to stare at Anastasia. "We felt cheated. So we raped and murdered the sacrifices. That was all."

All three girls were in complete shock. "My God," was all they said.

"We were really bad men back then," Hunter said. "We did what we had to in order to survive."

"We see that," Eve sniffed. "Those poor girls."

"Don't hate us, girls," Damian pleaded. "Like Hunt said, we had to survive somehow."

"We don't," Anastasia said, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Yeah," Ayla said, a smile on her face. "We love you boys, but this is why I think Ana tried to run."

Hunter cleared his throat. We still have to discuss the Transformation. Are you girls in?"

"We are," they answered.

This chapter will be continued...


	47. The Transformation of Ayla

Chapter 45- The Turning of the Maidens, pt. 2: The Transformation of Ayla

"Like I said," Hunter said, "The Transformation is to be done with two blood exchanges. Pretty simple."

"That it is. There is some pain, but it will pass. I swear," Damian reassured them.

Anastasia looked at him. "I understand, Teddy Bear."

"I do too," Eve whispered.

"So do I. Let's do this," Ayla said, pumping a hand in the air.

The Nightwalkers took a good long look at their mates. "Damn," Xavier said. "They really want to do this, don't they?"

"They do. I want them to be safe, though," Damian said. "Ana's my life now—I can't afford to lose her."

"Aye, you speak true," Hunter said. "We can't lose Ayla and Eve either."

Xavier shook his head. "I agree. How will we do this?"

"One at a time. If we do it together, it will make a huge mess. Hunt, you go first, then you, X, and I will go last," Damian said. "It'll be easier."

Hunter and Xavier shook their heads.

"I think that will work. Hunt, go ahead and prepare for the ritual. X and I will watch with Ana and Eve to show them what happens when the Transformation begins," Damian murmured.

"Right away," Hunter replied, taking Ayla with him.

"Where are we going?" Ayla asked.

"Our room," Hunter said, a smile on his face. "I need to get you ready for the ritual."

Once they were in the confines of their room, Hunter pulled out a box. "For you," he said, handing her the box.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Open it, and you will find out," Hunter said, still smiling.

Ayla opened the box to find a dress. Not any dress, but a dress of the finest crimson silk and adorned with rubies—blood red rubies. She was in shock.

"What do you think?" Hunter asked.

Ayla was still in shock when she looked at the dress. "It's beautiful," she breathed. "Where did you get this?"

Hunter watched the expression on her face. "I had it made long time ago. But I never found my true mate. Until now."

Ayla smiled. "That is so nice," she said. "I love it!"

"I'm glad, now try it on," Hunter whispered.

Ayla slipped the dress on and twirled around for Hunter to see. "What do you think?"

"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful," Hunter said. "Now to slip it off."

"What?" Ayla asked, but Hunter was faster, and the dress was off within seconds.

Hunter laughed. "It's what will happen during the ritual. The second the ritual words are spoken, by me of course, the dress will come off, I'll take blood from you, you'll have some from me, and then you and I will be doing more than...how do you say it? Just going out for coffee?"

"What?!" Ayla shouted. "Oh, you mean we'll be doing the damn thing with Dame, Ana, Evie, and X watching? Damn, okay...," she said, a frown on her face.

Hunter tried his best to make Ayla feel better. "It's fine," he said to her. "All they will see is us biting each other and taking blood. The rest of the music will be made by us—alone. I promise. It's time."

"Oh, okay," Ayla said. "Just as long as you promise it will just be us—and us alone."

Meanwhile, Damian, Ana, Xavier, and Eve were in the great room discussing amongst each other.

"Will she be okay?" Anastasia asked. "I worry about Ayla sometimes, you know."

Damian kissed her cheek. "She will be fine. I promise—Hunter would never do anything that would hurt or kill her."

Eve sighed. "I hope she knows that _she _will be okay."

Xavier trailed his fingers down Eve's arm. "She will be fine—trust us. We wouldn't lie to you."

Anastasia huffed. "Just like when you hesitated to tell us about the way you handled the sacrifices in the past?"

Damian and Xavier looked at each other in shock. "Like we said, that was the only way to survive back then," Damian said. "But what were we to do? Starve?"

"I'm sorry—I really am," Anastasia said, looking at the ground. "It just hurts to find out that my man mercilessly murdered so many women. It will take a while for me to get used to that."

Damian sighed. "It's okay. I know you're scared. As Ayla said, I too can see why you tried to run—those dreams you were having were of my killing all those girls—I should have never gotten so angry, and for that, I am sorry."

Xavier frowned. "Hmm, I know it's scary, Evie, but we had to do what we had to. How else would we have survived?"

Eve smiled. "At least you told us," she said, rubbing Xavier's head. "Or else it would have never come out."

"Anyway," Damian said, clearing his throat. "Those two should be out soon. Ladies, you'll love the dresses you'll be wearing during the Transformation ritual. Speaking of which, here you go," he said, handing Anastasia and Eve each a box. "Open them," he commanded.

They opened the boxes—and found the most beautiful dresses they had ever seen.

"Ohmigod," Anastasia said, tears of joy falling down her cheeks. "These are beautiful. But why?"

"Because," Xavier began, "These dresses were made for the occasion, but were never used because we never found the perfect lady to complete our lives. And now we have."

"Plus," Damian continued, "The dresses symbolize the union between us. Enjoy them—they are going to come off once the words are spoken anyway."

Eve shivered. "Sounds creepy," she whispered.

"Not creepy—erotic in some weird, twisted way," Anastasia said. "Damian always makes something erotic, even if it is scary," she added. "Let's go put them on."

"Good idea. Hunt? Ayla? Are you two ready?" Xavier called. "We want to see what is going to happen here. Come on."

"Aww, you getting impatient?" Hunter asked, laughing.

"No," Xavier said. "We're not. Just hurry up."

"Okay," Ayla said. "Is everything ready?"

Damian shook his head. "The candles are out here and the altar is ready. Let's get on with it."

Finally Ayla and Hunter came to the great room. Anastasia and Eve gasped in awe at the dress Ayla was wearing.

"Wow," they said. "You look gorgeous, Ayla."

Ayla blushed. "Thanks, guys," she said, climbing onto the altar as she thanked them for the compliment.

"Now," Damian said, squeezing Anastasia's hand, "watch what happens."

Hunter recited some ritual words and lit the candles surrounding him and Ayla. Then he tore off her dress, climbed on top of her, and began to kiss her neck, growling as he did so. Ayla moaned and moved her hair to the side to allow Hunter more access to her neck. Seeing that his mate's hair was now out of the way, Hunter began to make his move.

With a final growl, he bared his fangs—and sank them deep into Ayla's neck. "Mmm," she moaned as his fangs sank deeper into her neck.

Eve and Anastasia's mouths dropped in horror

"That's it, darling," Hunter growled. "Let me in. Let me inside you. From now on, we merge as one—powers, minds, and spirits." He sank his teeth into her neck once more, continuing to take of her blood.

Then he let go of her and climbed off of her. Ayla lay naked and motionless on the altar, eyes closed. Then the weirdest thing happened—her hair began to change from blonde to ash blonde. Her eyes changed from light brown to light blue. Finally, sharp white fangs emerged from her mouth. The Transformation of Ayla was complete. Damaris rushed forward with a robe to throw onto her.

"Come to me, love," Hunter growled.

Ayla walked over to him, a smile of pure evil on her face and eyes to match.

"Yes, my darling," she said, eyes glowing crimson.

"Take from me what you will and what you will need," he whispered, his hands brushing her hair.

"Of course," she whispered back and pulled him into a kiss. Then she sank her fangs into his throat, taking as much of his blood as she needed.

"Mmph," was all Hunter could say as Ayla continued to drink from him. Ayla let out a growl of her own as she used her tongue to clean the bite marks and released him.

"How do you feel?" Anastasia asked.

"Great," Ayla said. "It's like I was reborn. Think I will like being a Nightwalker's bride."

Hunter walked over to the guys. "Are we sure she wasn't born a Nightwalker? She makes a good Nightbride."

"Are you okay, Hunt?" Damian asked, looking him over.

"Fine," Hunter said, eyes glowing crimson as well. "Just fine. Your turn, X."


	48. The Transformation of Eve

Chapter 46- The Turning of the Maidens, pt. 3: The Transformation of Eve

Now it was Eve's turn to go through the Transformation.

And she was terrified. Even though she witnessed Ayla's turning, she was still afraid.

Xavier could understand her fears—and tirelessly tried to alleviate the nervousness she was suffering.

"It'll be okay—I promise to be gentle, Desert Rose. Nothing will go wrong," he cooed. "I wouldn't lie to you about this one."

"Yeah," Ayla said, rubbing Eve's shoulders. "It'll be fine—in fact, there was no pain. You'll be fine."

Damian smiled at her. "Evie, you'll be fine. The process is quick and there is no mess to clean up—you saw how well it worked with Ayla."

Eve shivered. "I'm scared," she whispered to Xavier.

"There isn't anything to be scared of, Evie," Xavier replied. "It's done in very little time."

"Okay," Eve said. "Let's just do this. It's making me nervous again."

"Maybe we should wait a few minutes," Xavier said. "I don't want her to be nervous."

"No," Eve said, her hands shaking nervously. "I just want to get this done with."

Hunter saw the worry in her eyes. "Evie," he said, his tone calm. "It'll be fine. Would you like Ayla and Ana to hold your hand while the ritual is going on?" he asked.

"Sure," Eve said. "That would help."

Damian sighed. "Then it's settled. "Mama Bear, Ayla, please come and make sure Eve is okay," he said.

"No problem," they said. "Evie, you'll be fine. We're here."

Xavier breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, Desert Rose. I won't hurt you. I promise."

"Okay," Eve said, a smile creeping onto her face. "I will be fine."

"Perfect," Xavier said. "We'll start when you're ready."

"We'll start now," she said. "I'm ready."

The ritual began, without any more issues. Eve lay upon the altar with Ayla and Anastasia each holding one of her hands. Xavier recited the ritual words, as Hunter did before, and relighted the candles, which had long flickered out.

"Let her go—for this part, at least," Xavier said to them.

"Okay," Anastasia said as she and Ayla took their seats with Damian and Hunter.

He then climbed on top of her, making sure not to hurt her in the process. That followed with a trail of kisses down Eve's neck.

Within seconds, her dress was whisked off her body.

"Mmm," Eve moaned as Xavier continued to kiss her.

"How's that?" he asked her.

"Wonderful," Eve's moaning grew louder, which in turn made Xavier crazier by the second.

"Good. I want to make you as comfortable as possible," came the reply.

"What is he doing?" Ayla asked Hunter.

"He is taking his time with her. Remember, she is pure—there will be some extra work to be done with her because of that," Hunter replied.

"Ah," Anastasia said. "I see what you mean. Evie is going to have to go through a bit more of the ritual. Got it."

"Exactly, Mama Bear," Damian purred in her ear. "Now watch what will happen."

Xavier was now whispering in Eve's ear as he began to run his hands over her hair and face. "Still good?" he asked.

"Still good," Eve replied.

"Good, because here comes the best part," he said.

"What good part?" Eve was beginning to let her nervousness show again.

"Don't worry. This will hurt a bit, but it will pass." With that, Xavier let out a howl and sank his fangs into Eve's neck.

"Mmm," Eve moaned.

"Relax," Xavier growled. "Just relax."

Eve began to relax at the sound of his voice. She closed her eyes to avoid the impending pain she was about to endure.

Xavier continued to drink from the bite marks on Eve's neck. "My God you taste good," he groaned.

Eve began to moan again. "Xavier," she purred.

Xavier's ears perked up. "Yes, darling?" he asked.

"Don't stop, for the love of God, please," she breathed.

A smile crept onto his face. "I have to, or I'll kill you. I'll have more chances to taste your sweet blood," he replied.

He closed the bite marks with his tongue and released his fangs from her neck, then climbed off the altar and stood back.

Eve's hair turned reddish gold. Her eyes changed from green to light brown. As with Ayla, sharp white fangs crept between her lips.

Eve's transformation was now complete, but as Damian said, there was a bit more to be done because she was a virgin.

"Wow," Ayla and Anastasia said, their eyes wide with surprise.

"Good job, X," Damian said, slapping him on the back.

"Great job, man, Hunter said.

"How do you feel, Desert Rose?" Xavier asked her.

"Thirsty. Come here," Eve commanded.

Xavier walked over to her and gave her a kiss. "Now we are one—minds, powers, and spirits. Take from me what you will and what you will need," he replied.

Eve sank her fangs into his neck, drinking deeply. "That's it," he hissed. "Good girl. I will reward you greatly for your good behavior later."

Finally, she closed the bite marks on his neck and released her hold on him.

"How do you feel, Evie?" Damian and Hunter asked.

"Good," Eve replied, smoothing her hair.

"Wonderful," Xavier said. "I know I feel great. Dame, you're on."

"Good," Damian said. "I can't wait to turn Ana. This will be fun."


	49. The Transformation of Anastasia

Chapter 47- The Turning of the Maidens, pt. 4: The Transformation of Anastasia

"Well, Mama Bear," Damian murmured, "it's our turn."

Anastasia sighed. "I can't wait—especially when I get to dreamkill."

Damian laughed. "I knew you would like that idea."

Anastasia smiled. "Of course. Who wouldn't?"

"Any woman who wasn't you," Damian teased. "Come on, let's go. We can fuck later, since I can see it in your eyes."

Hunter sighed in exasperation. "Will you stop that? Sheesh."

Anastasia huffed. "Look who's jealous."

"Am not. I'm just getting tired," Hunter retorted. "It's been a long day."

Damian smiled. "We'll get this going then, because I am guessing Ayla, X, and Evie are tired as well. Again, I say it. Come on, Ana."

Minutes later, Anastasia lay motionless upon the altar, her eyes closed. Damian circled the structure three times as he chanted the ritual words, lighting each cluster of candles as he did so.

Ayla and Eve watched as Damian performed the ritual. "Why did he say the words three times?" Eve asked.

"He is the eldest out of the three of us—therefore, the eldest Nightwalker is the one who has the most work to do when it comes to the Transformation," Xavier explained as he began nibbling on her neck.

"That means," Hunter continued, "that since Damian has the most powers, the transferring of power from him to Anastasia will take time."

Ayla shook her head. "I get what you're saying. Ana will have more power than us, since she is the leader's mate. Interesting thought."

Hunter was impressed with Ayla's thinking. "Very impressive, angel," he murmured, his nose in her hair. "Very impressive."

"Why, thank you, darling," Ayla said, smiling.

Eve looked at Ayla in surprise. "Wow, Ayl," she said, laughing. "I thought I would never see the day when you would smile."

Ayla laughed. "I don't know what you mean, Evie."

Xavier looked at the girls. "You two are hilarious. Now hush. You're missing everything."

Ayla and Eve quickly shut their mouths and continued to watch the ritual.

"Now," Damian growled, "Let me in. Let me inside you, darling. Don't be afraid."

Anastasia obediently allowed him to mount her. "Do as you wish, my king," she replied.

"And that I will," Damian said, ripping her dress off. He situated himself on top of her and let his fingers run through her hair.

"Ooh...," Anastasia moaned.

"You like?" Damian asked, lightly trailing kisses on her shoulders.

"Yes, oh yes," she purred.

"Then you'll love this." Damian slipped a hand under her derriere and lightly squeezed it.

"My, my," Anastasia squealed. "You are quite the frisky one, aren't you?"

"Only because it's you," Damian growled as his fangs sank into her neck. "Mmm, delicious."

"Aahhh...," Anastasia groaned as she gripped Damian's shoulders. "More, oh God, more. Please, my king, take as much as you need."

Damian looked at her. "Of course, my queen," he rasped.

"Whoa," Hunter said.

"Damn," Xavier, Ayla, and Eve said in unison.

Damian cast a glance onto the other four, then took his attention back to Anastasia. He took a few more sips of blood, then wiped his mouth clean and dismounted her.

The Transformation of Anastasia was complete.

Taking a step back, he watched the result of his handiwork. Everyone gasped as they watched Anastasia transform into a new and improved version of herself.

Anastasia's dark brown hair became light brown with blonde streaks. Her eyes changed from dark brown to gray. As with Ayla and Eve, Anastasia's sharp white fangs emerged as well. She let out an earth shattering growl as her eyes opened.

"Damn," Xavier said. "She's just like Damian—right up to the growling."

Anastasia was very quick when it came to most things. And she was quicker when she grabbed Damian and took her fangs to his neck in a matter of seconds.

"Whoa," Damian said, eyes glowing crimson. "Take it easy, Mama Bear. I'm not going anywhere."

"Aahhh...delicious," she moaned. "Sit."

Damian obeyed the command and sat down on one of the chairs. "Yes, Mama Bear."

"Good boy," she said, closing the bite marks with her tongue.

"Wow," Hunter said, a look of surprise on his face. "She has you on lock down, Dame. Shit. Guess that is good, since she is the leader's mate."

"Damn right," Anastasia said.

Xavier laughed. "This is a funny sight."

Ayla and Eve began laughing as well. "This is why she was the badass of our group," they said.

"Ah!" Damian exclaimed. "Maybe this is why I wanted her after all. I knew there was something bad inside her that would awaken my inner animal," he added.

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"What? It's true," Damian said. "That has been sleeping until now. I think Ana did something to me."

Anastasia's mouth dropped. "Is that a bad thing?" she asked.

"No," Damian said. "It's a great thing. Come here and kiss me, Mama Bear."

Anastasia walked over to him, jumped into his arms, and planted a huge kiss on him.

"Aww," Hunter, Eve, Ayla, and Xavier cooed. "That is so cute," they said, adding a few gagging noises at the end.

Damian and Anastasia glared at them. "Whatever," they said.

"We're sorry—it's just so sickeningly sweet," Ayla said, trying to contain her laughter.

"No, you're not," Damian said. "Just tell the truth."

"That was the truth," Eve said. "It's so sickening, the way you two pass off the PDA's."

Everyone laughed.

"Well, the Transformation ritual is complete," Damian said. "The next thing to be done is the training you girls need to be able to properly use your powers. We will train you on when to use your powers and how to use them so you don't harm yourself—or others. Also, you will be ruling over the city with us from now on, so you get to attend elder meetings and such."

The girls looked at each other. "Are you serious?" they asked.

"As serious as he could be," Hunter replied.

"Wow. I get to rule over an entire city," Anastasia said. "Amazing."

"Hmm," Ayla murmured. "I can do that—and if anyone pisses my man off, I'll break them—literally."

Hunter's ears perked up. "I like the sound of that, my pet," he said. "In fact, I would gladly offer the first dozen offenders so my queen can deal with them personally," he said, bowing to her.

"Yeah," Anastasia breathed. "I want to rip someone's heart out and eat it right in front of them. Maybe one of those creeps from the Nail."

Damian's eyes widened at his mate's remark. "What have I done?" he teased.

"Everything," Xavier replied. "Just everything. Let's go to bed."

They went in the direction of their rooms to retire for the evening.


	50. Training Days, pt 1: Anastasia

Chapter 48- Training Days, pt. 1: Anastasia

Anastasia woke up early the next night refreshed and ready to begin her training. She knew that she wasn't going to learn about all of her new powers in one day, nor was she going to let Damian try to teach her everything in one lesson.

"Dame? Wake up, Teddy Bear," she whispered. "Please wake up."

Damian opened one sleepy eye and looked at Anastasia's cheery face. "Aargh," he growled. "Can I have a few more minutes, Mama Bear? You kept me up for quite a while, if I remember right." He then closed the same eye and went back to sleep.

"I kept you up? Oh...yeah, I guess I did," she said, blushing. "Maybe it is too early. Go back to sleep, Damian. I guess I'll do the same." She climbed back under the covers and fell back to sleep.

"Yeah," Damian mumbled. "I forgot to mention that your libido changed with the Transformation...sorry, Mama Bear."

Anastasia's soft snores broke the silence.

Damian turned over and pulled her over to him. He placed a kiss on her nose and held her as they slept.

They woke a few hours later, and Anastasia was still excited to learn how to use her powers, especially the dreamkilling and shapeshifting.

"How was your sleep, Mama Bear?" Damian asked as he fixed them mugs of coffee and something to eat.

Anastasia yawned. "Very relaxing, except when someone kept biting my neck as I slept."

"What, I couldn't help it," Damian said, a frown on his face. "Your blood is like honey—sweet and satisfying. Really couldn't help it."

Anastasia looked at him, gray eyes sparkling. "Ah, my king, it is quite okay. I understand," she added, cupping his chin in her hands.

Damian looked up at her, his brown eyes glowing. "I would hope it was okay," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Mmm," Anastasia murmured. "This coffee is good. What kind is it?"

Damian looked at the container. "I'm not one to usually drink coffee, but Mercedes said she bought this at Macaluso's the other day. It's Gilbertsen's Instant—Chocolate Orangeberry—mmm, this is really good."

Anastasia finished the last of her meal. "I'm so excited! Can we start now?" she asked. "Please?"

"Sure," Damian said.

Anastasia jumped for joy. "Cool! What are we doing first?"

"Internal Combustion, then Nightmarescapes and Dreamkilling," Damian replied.

Anastasia was never happier. She remembered hearing stories a while back from some of the elders about Damian's love of killing enemies by way of this kind of combustion. All he had to do was touch someone, and the second he pulled his hand away, the poor soul would scream in agony as their skin began to melt off their bodies. Now she was going to see the real thing.

"Okay," Damian said, as he and Anastasia sat in the study. "The first step of performing internal combustion is to mark your target. The next step is to get to them without being seen. Then, when you are that close to them, just lightly touch the target's shoulder—just a little tap—nothing big, and then move as far away as you can from them."

Anastasia's hand went up. "Let me guess, then you just watch what happens—am I right?"

"Exactly," Damian's eyes lit up. "What happens next is the most wondrous thing to see—in my opinion, that is."

Anastasia spoke again. "You mean when they burn up?"

"Yes."

A smile crept onto her face. "Cool! When do I get to try this?"

"Now," Damian replied. He took her hand and led her into another room.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"The Danger Room—the Manor's training room," he said as he pushed a clear blue button. At once, a chair came forward. In the chair was what Anastasia thought was a dummy, but in reality was a very frightened townsman, who had been drugged for the purpose of teaching the lesson.

Anastasia gasped. "I don't know if I can do this, Damian," she whispered.

"You can do it, Mama Bear. I have faith in you," he replied, squeezing her shoulder. "Just remember what I said—one little touch, and then move away as fast as you can so you don't get burned in the process." One kiss from Damian gave her all the courage she needed to get through this first step in using her powers.

"Okay," she said. "Here goes." Eyes turning black, Anastasia turned to her victim. "Prepare to die, little man," she hissed as she touched the frightened man's face. Then she backed away.

"Please, don't let me die," the man begged.

"Shut up," Damian hissed. "There is no hope for you now, foolish one." He pulled Anastasia into his arms. "Now just watch. The best is yet to happen."

They watched for a few moments, then it finally happened. The man began to scream as his skin began to burn. Huge chunks of flesh began to melt away from his bones. His screams became louder as more pieces of flesh melted away.

During this episode, Anastasia suddenly turned to Damian. "I don't know what is going on, but this is making me horny, Teddy Bear."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he asked. "Damn, Eve was right—this is what you think about all the time, isn't it?

Anastasia laughed. "Only when I'm with my man. Oh, for the love of God, show me those beautiful pecs and eat me—right here, right now. Please."

Damian wasn't one to deny his women what they needed, and he was definitely not about to deny Anastasia her request. "Come here then, my lovely bride," he said, pulling her in for another kiss.

As they kissed, the dying man continued to scream. Damian and Anastasia cast a glance at him, then looked away—he meant nothing to them now.

Damian then lay Anastasia onto the ground beside the screaming man. He began to rip at her clothing as he settled on top of her. Then he tore at his clothing and began to plant kisses down her body, pausing to swirl his tongue over her navel.

"Ooh," Anastasia moaned. "Don't stop, my king," she shrieked.

"Would I ever?" Damian grunted as he continued kissing her.

"No—oh, God. That feels so good." Anastasia's moans were driving Damian insane. He let out a hiss as he moved down to her core in all its dripping, wet glory.

"Is this mine, and only mine?" he growled, his tongue inching closer to her core. He was obviously going insane by just thinking about it.

"Yes. Oh, yes, it is. Just take it, please," she panted, pulling him close to her.

Damian began panting as well. "Well, then," he growled again, "I must have it if that is the case." With that, he began to sniff at her entrance, then began sucking and licking at it as if it were candy.

"Mmm, so good. My God, you do know how to work your tongue—ooh—ohmigod!" Anastasia was getting very close to achieving a climax as Damian's tongue continued to work its magic.

"Almost there," Damian growled, his head still between her legs. "Cum for me, Mama Bear," he begged. "I need it."

"Ooh," Anastasia moaned. "Okay, baby, here it comes." She let out another moan and finally let out wave after wave of passion. Damian greedily lapped up every drop of it, a huge smile on his face. "Delicious," he groaned.

They looked over at the chair next to them. The man had long burned to death.

"Ah," Damian murmured, marveling at his mate's handiwork. "Very nice, Mama Bear. You have done well. Now on to Lesson 2—Nightmarescapes and Dreamkilling. Of course, this may be a bit more difficult, because you need to concentrate a bit more on the type of nightmares you want to give a person. Are you understanding this?"

"Yes," Anastasia said, a smile on her face. "I do."

"Okay," Damian began, a smirk on his face. "The way to create a nightmarescape is to read what a person's fears are. Once that is accomplished, you can make sure they are afraid to sleep at night. But, there is a catch: you have to make sure that their fears are the real thing. In other words, you can read their thoughts, but you wind up killing, or even hurting someone else's ability to sleep if you make a mistake."

Anastasia's hand went up once again. "So," she asked, "Did you ever make a mistake while creating a nightmarescape?"

Damian closed his eyes, then reopened them. He began to tell Anastasia about the time he wanted some oranges—and dealt with the wrong type of orange vendor. That incident had been in 1100, right before he was put to sleep by the Falcons.

"That I did. There was a gentleman that made sure to try to cheat me out of some blood oranges I had bought from him—I bought 10 dozen from him because I had to have them—big mistake dealing with this jerk.

He had his servant girl, a girl of 8, bring them to me personally, but from what I read on her was that he made her take about a dozen of them out of the bag before she came to me with them. Then when I saw what he had done, he tried to tell me that this was the amount I ordered, when it wasn't. I didn't get mad at the girl—trust me, I didn't—if I did, I would have done more than made a meal out of her—but I didn't.

Instead, I made the girl go back to him and tell him I wanted her master I wanted to meet with him. So she went back and told him what I said, and he came running to me with the dozen he took out. It was too late for him though. I murdered him right in front of his servants—and took the girl for myself—actually, you know this girl," he said, winking at Mercedes, who had slipped into the room with three mugs of coffee and three slices of her famous Chocolate Raspberry-Vanilla cake.

"I do?" Anastasia asked.

"Yes, Mistress Anastasia, you do," Mercedes answered. "I hope it's okay that I came to watch how the training is going."

" That is fine, dear. The girl was Mercedes," Damian replied. "I made sure after that meeting to ensure that she would be taken care of. And after so many years, she has done well serving me," he said.

"Well, Teddy Bear," Anastasia murmured, "That was awful nice of you. She has done very well here—and I am glad for that."

Damian looked at her. "Yeah, I know—especially since I'm a hardass and an evil SOB, but I can still be nice as well."

Mercedes and Anastasia laughed. "Hardass? Nope," they both said as Mercedes served the coffee and cake.

"Just admit that I am," Damian grumbled.

"Well, Master Damian," Mercedes said. "You can be, sometimes, but we still love you," she admitted. "Show me what Mistress Anastasia's been learning," she added.

"With pleasure," Damian said. "Show her what you learned, Mama Bear," he commanded.

Anastasia conjured a dummy townsman to her. Suspending it in the air, she lightly touched its foot. Then she stepped back.

At once, the dummy became immersed in flames. Mercedes clapped her hands in excitement.

"Amazing," she said. "You're a pro, Mistress Anastasia."

"Thanks, Mercedes," Anastasia said. "I couldn't have done it without Teddy Bear."

"Teddy Bear?" Mercedes asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't you dare laugh," Damian warned.

"No, of course not, Master Damian," she replied. "I think it's cute, plus it suits you. Strong like a bear, but still soft, cuddly, and warm. I see where Mistress Anastasia went with the nickname."

Damian's tone softened. "You two are ridiculous, you know that?"

"Yes, we do. Now, let's get back to the lesson, please?" Anastasia asked.

"Okay," Damian said. "Let's test your skills on creating a nightmarescape. On Mercedes."

"What?" Anastasia's mouth dropped. "I might kill her."

"Please," Mercedes huffed. "I'm almost as old as he is—and I look damn good too. Also, he has used me to test out his nightmarescapes—it won't hurt me. Just try it."

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

"Okay," Anastasia sighed. "Here goes." She closed her eyes as well.

"What do you see?" Damian asked.

"I see," Anastasia began, a smile on her face. "That Mercedes is afraid of snakes. Let me see if I can make her scared."

Mercedes began to whimper. "No," she cried. "Make them go away. Please!"

"That's it," Damian whispered. "She's breaking. Turn off the connection."

Anastasia did as she was told. She turned off the connection—and not a minute sooner, for Mercedes jolted awake with a start.

"Good job, Mistress Anastasia," she murmured. "But how did you know of my fear of snakes?"

"A little birdie told me," Anastasia replied.

Mercedes nudged Damian's shoulder. "Why did you tell her?"

"She needed to know if she was to do the lesson properly, you know," Damian chuckled.

"I know! Next part of the lesson," Mercedes retorted. "Is simple. All you have to do when it comes to dreamkilling is to apply what you know from reading a person's fears—and attack them that way. No, Anastasia, this is something you are NOT doing to me. Congratulations, you have gotten through your first day of power training with Damian."

Anastasia jumped for joy. "Yay!" she squealed, giving Damian a kiss.

"This is going to be interesting," Damian murmured.


	51. Training Days, pt 2: Ayla

Chapter 49- Training Days, pt. 2: Ayla

"Oh, Hunter!" Ayla yelled.

"That's it—ride me, girl. Ride like there's no tomorrow!" Hunter groaned as Ayla quickened her pace.

"Oh, yes, Daddy. I will," she replied as his fangs sank into her neck. "Aahh..."

"Love it when my baby calls me that—now it's my turn." With a flick of his wrist, he flipped her onto her back and spread her legs apart. "Let me show you how I do things around here."

"Mmm," Ayla moaned as Hunter slipped two fingers inside her. "Feels...so...good," she cried.

It early in the morning, but Hunter had decided to ease Ayla's anxiousness about her training by giving her a morning fuck session.

Surprisingly enough, the noise they were making hadn't woken anyone else—or so they thought.

"Tell me how you want it, love," Hunter hissed.

"Rough," she screamed. "I can take it."

Hunter smiled as he looked at her. "I knew you would say that." He let his tongue explore her core.

"How's that?" he asked, slowly running his finger around her entrance.

"Great, but don't you think I should be getting trained right now?" Ayla asked.

"I'm training you right now, babe," Hunter grinned. "But yes, we should. Let's go get something to eat, and then we will begin your training."

"Already beaten you to that," Damaris said, entering the room with a large tray of scrambled eggs, slices of Canadian bacon, cheese, toast, and coffee. "Enjoy, darlings."

Hunter and Ayla looked at each other in surprise. "Damn, she's good," Ayla said.

They began to eat. After they finished, Ayla began to ask about what the day's training was.

"Not as good as I," Hunter replied. "Today's lesson is learning how to break someone's arm—the right way—meaning that there is a clean break that _can't_ be healed."

Ayla looked shocked. "How is that possible?" she asked.

"Trust me," Hunter said. "There is a way. And I will show you. Damaris, if you don't mind, please bring in the test subject."

Damaris came back into the room, dragging a very frightened woman behind her. "Don't worry," she said. "Nothing's going to happen to you—nah, not really. I just love telling people that—have fun." She tossed the woman over to Hunter.

"Master Hunter, enjoy." A smile crossed her face as she began laughing.

"Well, now, Ayl," Hunter said. "The main thing is to focus on breaking something—whether it be her arms or legs. Just breaking the body part is the main thing."

Ayla grinned mischievously. "Cool," she said. "I think I'll like this power."

Hunter laughed. "I knew you would. Now show me that you can do it."

Ayla smiled, then grabbed the woman by her wrists. "Come here, darling. I won't hurt you—not that much at least. I'd like to keep you around a while."

The woman did as she was told and walked up to Ayla. Hunter was amazed at what he was seeing.

"Put out your left arm,"Ayla commanded.

Again, the woman did as she was told. Ayla took her hand and bent it—way too far back for a normal person to do. Once she heard it break, she let go.

A loud howl broke through the silence. The woman recoiled in horror, clutching her broken hand.

"My hand," she said, sobbing hysterically.

"Aww," Hunter said, reaching for her. "Let me fix it. You did so well. We'll spare you."

With that being said, Hunter began to chant an incantation to heal the broken hand.

"Thank you, Master Hunter, Mistress Ayla," she said, wiping away fresh tears that were falling down her face.

"Don't cry," Ayla said. "It wasn't meant to go like that—honest."

"It's okay."

Hunter began to yawn. "I think you did great, darling." He gave Ayla a peck on the cheek. "You too...what is your name, little one?"

"Aquamarine, sir," the woman replied.

"I like it," Hunter said. "How would you like to be my lady's maid in waiting, dear?" he asked.

A smile crossed Aquamarine's face. "I would love that, sir. Thank you."

"Damaris will show you where your room is. Meanwhile, I will have her make you something to eat. Then we'll show you around the Manor." Hunter replied, a smile on his face.

"That we will," Ayla said. "Damaris," she called.

"Coming, Mistress Ayla," Damaris replied. "Come with me, dear. I'll fix you some lunch."

Aquamarine followed behind her, looking around at everything before her.

"As for you, darling," Hunter said, nuzzling Ayla's neck, "Why don't you and I start Round 2?"

"Would love to," Ayla said, pushing him onto the bed. "Take me, dangerous one. Take me until I can't take it any longer."

"My pleasure. Definitely my pleasure."


	52. Training Days, pt 3: Eve

A/N: This is the chapter that will begin Eve's "wild nights" with X, if you get my drift.

Chapter 50- Training Days, pt. 3: Eve

"Mmmm," Eve moaned as Xavier tried to get her to wake up. "I don't wanna."

"Well, Desert Rose," Xavier said, his lips in a pout, "Please? I want to get you started on your training."

Eve began to stir. "What am I learning?" she asked.

"How to control nature—more like having the earth do your bidding," Xavier answered. "The test subjects are the Falcons."

Eve's eyes glowed gold. "Great."

"I knew you would like that."

"How?" she asked him.

"Simple. They try to destroy me, you instantly feel threatened. It's normal," he explained.

"So that means...," Eve began, a smile on her face.

"That you can hurt them too, don't worry."

Eve's smile brightened. "Cool!" was all she said. "What do I do first?"

"Well," Xavier said, chuckling at Eve's smile. "Just concentrate on having the earth spit those fools out so you can play with them."

Eve closed her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly the ground beneath her opened, and the Falcons were tossed into the air like rag dolls. They then fell to the ground with a loud _crash_.

"What happened?" Terrion asked, frightened out of his mind.

"She's what happened," Xavier said, pointing at Eve.

All three Falcons looked at Eve in shock. "Her? A woman?" Terrion roared with laughter. "She's so frail."

Eve's blood began to boil.

Xavier tried to calm his mate's nerves. "Let it go, Evie. Just concentrate," he whispered.

Eve closed her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly the Falcons were tossed into the air again.

"Wow," Xavier murmured. "I've never seen anything like that before."

Eve opened her eyes. And gasped when she saw what she had done.

The Falcons remained in the air, this time they remained completely still.

"Whoa."

"Whoa is right," Xavier replied. "Now bring them down—hard."

"Okay," she said, a smile on her face. She waved her hand at the Falcons, who were still floating motionless in the air.

The Falcons came down to the ground with a loud _thud_.

"Ouch!" Nicolai groaned. "What gives?!"

He was met with Eve's steely glare.

"Fuck you, you demon whore," he continued. "I don't give a shit what you are. You can't do this to us!"

Now it was Xavier's turn to get mad. "Don't you dare call the love of my life any name like that. Take it back, or I will kill you myself," he thundered.

"No!" Nicolai growled. "I will not!"

"Fine, then. Suit yourself," Xavier hissed. He waved his hand in front of the ground, which opened as soon as he did so.

Eve stood behind the Falcons, and pushed all three of them in at once. "Let me do the honors," she hissed, waving her hand in front of the ground again.

"Bitch," Terrion growled as the ground closed over them.

"Demon slut," Lysander shouted.

"Keep calling me names, assholes," Eve shrieked. "You're the ones who are taking the dirt nap...literally."

"Atta girl," Xavier said. "You've passed the first day of training. Let's go do something...special."

"Like what?" Eve asked.

"Let's go back to the house. Then I can show you what I mean," Xavier said to her.

Once they were back in the house, and in the privacy of their room, Xavier let the beast in him take control. "Come here, baby," he called.

Eve walked over to him, a smirk on her face. "Yes, darling?" she answered.

"Mmm, I like what I am seeing," Xavier said. "But, I think you're wearing too much clothing," he said, tugging at her tank top.

"Well," Eve replied, "I can't have that happen, can I?" She backed away from him and began to remove her clothing, one piece at a time.

"Mmm," Xavier groaned, tearing off his clothes. "Damn, woman," he thundered. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"No, just trying to make you happy, if you know what I mean," she said, trying to repress a laugh.

"That, my dear Desert Rose," he whispered, "is what I mean." He pulled her to him. "I have to tell you—I'm already hard, just by looking at you."

Eve climbed onto the bed. "Come and get me, lover," she giggled.

"My pleasure," Xavier growled, crawling on top of her.

"Now, what was it you wanted to do?" Eve asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Well," Xavier said, sliding down the bed until he was kneeling in front of her. "Maybe this." He pulled her closer and began licking at her core, making sure that each stroke of his tongue sent a chill up her spine.

"Oh, baby," Eve moaned. "Don't stop."

"Wasn't planning on it," Xavier murmured, continuing to lick at her. "Delicious," he groaned, moistening two fingers and placing them inside her.

This continued for a while, until Xavier decided that a certain body part of his needed some attention. Giving Eve a final lick, he stood up and pulled Eve into a sitting position.

"Suck me off, baby," he commanded, stroking his shaft. "Show me how well that mouth works."

Eve obeyed, and soon, Xavier was groaning and growling for more. This was pretty surprising, seeing that Eve had been petrified to touch him the first time he had shown himself to her.

Guess that changed—a LOT.

"Yeah, that's it," Xavier growled as he watched his mate's mouth glide over the tip of his shaft. "Good girl."

Eve concentrated on sucking him off until he let out an earth-shattering growl and exploded in her mouth—and she gladly took it all without spilling a drop.

"Hot damn," he finally said. "How did you learn to do that?"

"I don't know," Eve answered.

"Uh huh. Anyway," Xavier murmured again, "I want to do something else to you. Before you say anything, I know you're still pure. I will be very gentle with you—for now." Without another word, he gently slid his shaft inside her.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"A bit."

"That is to happen," Xavier smiled as he brushed Eve's hair out of her face. "It will pass." He pushed a bit further, then paused to give her time to adjust.

That time passed, and he began to push a bit more, until he was fully inside her. Then he began to thrust against her, guiding her hands to his chest so she could hold on to him.

"How's that?" he grunted.

Eve's quiet moaning gave him all the answers he wanted to hear. He continued to thrust as the moaning grew louder.

Finally, as X pulled out of Eve, the lovers decided to call it a day and prepared to take what would be the longest sleep they would ever take.


	53. Getting To Know You, pt 1: Anastasia

A/N: Sorry I took so long with this chapter. I was having a bad case of writer's block that I couldn't shake. Enjoy!!

Chapter 51- Getting To Know You, pt. 1: Anastasia

"So," Damian said, seating himself on their bed. "Tell me something—or some things—that I don't know about you, Ana."

"What do you want to know?" Anastasia asked him.

"Well, for starters, your family."

Anastasia was stunned. "Well," she began. "My family was pretty old-fashioned—no sex till you're married, stuff like that. I have two sisters, my sister Delicia being the oldest—and cockiest—out of the three of us, and Selena, the youngest—and the baby of the family. They live in New York and South Carolina now. One is a pediatrician and the other one is a beautician. They're doing well, from what I hear from my mom. She visits them all the time. Which is making me wonder what her reaction would be if I told her I finally found someone."

Damian laughed. "I'm sure it isn't that bad."

Anastasia smiled. "No, it isn't. But still, she would be surprised."

"Then don't tell her what I am—at least not now," Damian replied. "That alone would scare the shit out of her. Wait a while—maybe when she asks what I do for a living—or does she know I'm one of the city rulers?"

Anastasia looked at him. "That she knows. But what she may ask is how you landed me."

"Hm, that is quite a question. That is easy: you caught my eye—while you were at work. Simple, since that is the truth."

This was the truth. Ana had been working at the Rusty Nail when he had been searching for a mate. There was no lie in that one. And Ana had obviously been to the point where she was giving up on finding that special guy to fill the void in her life.

"I guess so," she sighed.

"Dear heart, don't be discouraged." Damian wrapped his arms around her. "Invite your mother to meet me. I promise I won't bite...honest."

Anastasia's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive."

"Then it is settled. I will call my mother and see if she is available."

"Good. I can't wait. Now let's go and get some air." He took her hand and led her out the door. "And let's see where the others are."


	54. Getting To Know You, pt 2: Ayla

Chapter 52- Getting To Know You, pt. 2: Ayla

"Ayla, may I ask something?" Hunter said, pulling her close to him.

"Sure, honey," she replied. "Ask away."

"What is your family like?" he asked.

"All doctors and lawyers, and one professor at George Washington University," she answered. "Everyone was proud to see that there was another psychiatrist in the family—my mother is also a psychiatrist. I have six brothers. Two of them, David and Christopher, went into medicine, one of them, Anthony, is the professor at George Washington, and the other three, Lawrence, Parrish, and Theodore, practice law. They may not want to mess with you when it comes to law."

"And why is that?" Hunter asked, a puzzled look on his face. "Am I that bad?"

Ayla began to laugh. "You can be. I remember before I came to the Manor how they would talk about the way you ran things. I don't know what they would say if they met you—or what you would say to them."

Hunter pondered that thought for a moment. "I would tell them that if the crime fits, the person would have to pay—and I have my ways of punishing people."

Another laugh escaped Ayla's lips. "Trust me, babe," she began, "they know all about what you're capable of—and I think Lawrence agreed quite a lot with your theories."

"I'd like to meet him, then," Hunter said, a smile on his face. "He seems quite worthy of meeting me. I think I like him already."

"Then it is settled," Ayla said. "We can arrange to have him here one day, along with the rest of the family."

"Wonderful. Now come here so I can have some fun with you." He tugged at her shoulder, a pout on his usually stern face.

"How about not?" she asked playfully.

"Woman," he thundered. "Don't tease me, you know how I can be when you become a tease."

"Or do I?" she taunted.

"That's it," Hunter growled. "You're going to get it, and you're going to get it good!" He grabbed her waist and carried her over to the bed.

"Uh oh," Ayla moaned. "I'm in trouble now, aren't I?"

Hunter grinned. "That you are. Disobeying an order can get you into a LOT of trouble when it comes to me. But your punishment is going to sting—A LOT."

Ayla tried to get up. "Please, Master," she begged. "I've been very naughty. Do with me what you will."

"Of course I will, darling," Hunter said, flipping her onto her stomach. "I will do what I please. And you're going to enjoy it." He sank to his knees, pulled her to the end of the bed, spread her legs apart, and put his head between her legs. Once he was settled, he let his tongue do all the talking for him.

"Ahh, Master," Ayla cooed. "More, please...I beg you."

"As you wish, my pet." He spread her legs a bit further. "How do you like it?" he growled.

"Rough, Master," came the reply.

"Good girl," Hunter snarled, his tongue burrowing its way inside her. "Tell me to fuck you—and hard," he hissed.

"Fuck me hard, Master," Ayla shrieked. "Hard, I say."

"Very good," Hunter growled, his eyes turning dark red. "Let me pound that pussy until you can't take it anymore," he continued, stuffing her core with his hardened member.

"Yes, Master. Please do what you want to me," she cried.

"Ahh...yes, that's it," Hunter began to pound his way inside her. "Ohhh...you're so goddamn loose, just the way I like my pussy. Let me loosen it some more." He pulled out of her—only for a bit—and placed two fingers inside her.

"Oh yes, that's good...ahh," Ayla moaned again. "Stick it inside me again—I can take it."

"You've been bad—I don't know if you deserve it." Hunter eyed her wickedly. "I don't give it to bad girls, but this bad girl needs her punishment. So I will give you what you want, but not there."

Ayla frowned. "Where, then?" she asked.

Hunter grabbed at her face and pried her mouth open with his member. "Suck it off, slave," he said, growling playfully.

"Yes, Master," she replied. "I'll fuck it good, I swear. I'll never be bad again," she added, pushing him onto the bed. She continued to suck him off until he released a few loads of his spunk into her mouth, which she took without spilling a drop.

Hunter groaned. "You suck cock so well, darling. Punishment is over."

"I told you I could do it."


	55. Getting To Know You, pt 3: Eve

Chapter 53- Getting To Know You, pt. 3: Eve

Eve was preparing herself and Xavier a bath when he decided to sneak up and surprise her with a bouquet of roses.

"Oh!" Eve jumped at Xavier's cold touch, which made her change into her dragon form, a purple dragon. "Bastard," she snapped, a smile on her face. "Flowers, for me? Babe, you shouldn't have."

Xavier grinned sheepishly. "Anything for my Desert Rose," he said. "Nice color. I like it," he added, changing into his dragon form, a blue dragon, as well. "What do you think of mine?"

"Very attractive," she laughed. "But really, X. Why the flowers?"

Xavier laughed as well. "I told you, I did it just because." He looked over at the bathtub. "Are we having a bath?"

"Yes, _you and I_ are having a bath. I figured to surprise you as well," she said, a wicked smile on her face.

Xavier eyed her suspiciously. "Eve Caspiana Kansperi," he began, "What in the name of all that is unholy are you up to?"

"Nothing, I just wanted some time with you, that is all. Now get in the bath." she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Xavier said, getting into the tub. "Now you get in, and don't make me beg."

Eve obeyed and got into the tub with him. "Good," she whispered, reaching for a sponge. "Let me wash your back."

Xavier purred as the sponge touched his back. "That feels wonderful. While you're doing that, let's talk. Tell me about your family. Do you have any siblings?"

"I'm an only child, and it was just me and my mom. My dad died when I was ten. We didn't have much at first, but we survived, thanks to the large estate my dad left us. My mom, who worked as a secretary, and I were able to move into a nice house over on New Jersey Avenue, complete with a nice backyard. The house is still there, and my mom is still living there. I still keep in touch with her—we're very close."

"That is amazing," Xavier said. "I would love to meet your mother one day, she sounds like an amazing woman."

Eve smiled. "She truly was amazing. She made sure we had everything we owned, and I thank her for that. But one thing troubles me—how is she going to react to me being the bride of a Nightwalker?"

"She will be fine with it. It may take time, but she will accept it. Trust me," Xavier reassured her.

"You're right, I don't know why I worry," Eve blushed.

"Ah, Desert Rose," Xavier replied, taking the sponge from her. "I know why you would—you're afraid she would be afraid of me, and that is acceptable. But I tell you, she will love me and see that her baby is in good hands. So don't worry yourself so much. Things will be fine."

"Okay."

"Good," he said. "Now where were we? Ah, I remember, I was about to do this." He sat her on the edge of the tub and began licking at her core. "You ever had dragon sex, babe?" he asked wickedly.

"What do you have in mind, you evil dragon?" she asked him.

"Oh, nothing, just something like this," he murmured, nuzzling her neck. "And maybe getting a bit dirty again."

"Then we'll have to get clean again after," she pouted.

"You get the gist of the idea then." Another wicked smile crept onto Xavier's face. "Let's get nasty then." He stood over her, his throbbing member calling to her. "Show me what you can do, my little princess," he commanded.

"Yes, darling," Eve said, placing the throbbing member in her mouth. She began to suck on it, slowly at first, then faster once he began fucking her mouth. While she went down on him, Xavier couldn't resist reaching for her breasts and fondling them, eliciting a moan from Eve. This continued for a few more minutes, until he exploded in her mouth and on her wet body. Then he flipped her onto her stomach and rammed his shaft inside her. He began to rock his hips back and forth, then began slamming into her.

"How does this feel?" he growled.

"Mmph...oh yeah, so good," she cried. "Don't stop."

"I have no plans to stop," he replied, slamming into her harder. "Oh yeah, let me pound this fine dragon ass."

"Beat my ass up," Eve growled. "Tear it apart—just fuck me harder."

Xavier paused. "Goddamn," he said, blinking in surprise. "Is this the same shy little lady I made my bride? Or is this someone else?"

"It's me—I just think the dragon in me is taking over," Eve answered him.

Xavier pulled out of her. "Wow," was all he could say.


	56. Family Meeting, pt 1: Tuesday

Chapter 54- Family Meeting , pt. 1: Tuesday

"So," Damian murmured. "We get to meet our in laws. What fun this will be."

Xavier smiled. "What are we going to do with them? We haven't entertained in a long time."

"We'll have a barbecue—is that what mortals call these outings?" Hunter said, staring at Mercedes.

Mercedes shook her head. "Yes, Master Hunter—that was the correct term," she answered. "We can have chicken and hamburgers and such. Make it look like a real barbecue," she added.

"Good. When can we have that done?" Damian asked.

"When did you want to do this? When are they coming?" Mercedes asked.

"Friday," Xavier answered.

"Wonderful! Lots of time to plan this out," Damaris, Aquamarine, Lara, and Mercedes said. "We'll make sure this gets planned right."

Damian smiled. "Good, I don't think I want to make a fool of myself in front of myself in front of Ana's mom and sisters."

"And we don't want Evie and Ayla's families to find us weird either," Xavier and Hunter replied.

"How could Ayla's family think you were weird, Hunt?" Damian raised an eyebrow. "According to Lawrence Lantzere, the way your mind works fascinates him. You'll be fine."

"Aye, that is true," Hunter replied. "She did tell me he agreed with my governing practices. I do have nothing to worry about."

"As do I," Xavier said. "Evie's mother is quite an amazing woman—making sure she and Evie were taken care of. Truly amazing."

"Hey! Earth to the Three Stooges!" Aquamarine shouted. "Get out of the kitchen so the girls and I can get this stuff planned out."

"Why? It's not till Friday. You still have LOTS of time," Damian grunted.

"So what?" Mercedes retorted. "I take this seriously—and so do they. Now do you want this done right or what?"

All three Nightwalkers shook their heads. "Yes, ma'am," they replied.

"Good. Now go so we can work on this. And no ifs, ands, or buts—okay, guys. Trust us, things will be fine."

Xavier sulked. "Okay, fine. Let's leave them alone, boys. I feel like doing some gardening anyway."

He left the kitchen, followed by Damian and Hunter, still sulking.

"What exactly did you mean by gardening?" Damian asked.

Xavier grinned. "What do you think I meant?" he asked him.

Damian thought about his answer for a moment. "Oh, I know what you mean," he said. "The three idiots that are stuck in the ground."

Hunter burst out laughing. "This should be fun," he whispered.

They reached the forest, where Damian decided it would be best to pick a few flowers for Anastasia. Hunter seated himself on a tree trunk and Xavier opened the earth so he could start messing with the Falcons all over again.

The ground opened at once, tossing the stunned Falcons in front of the Nightwalkers.

"Ow!" Lysander growled, rubbing his head. "Is there EVER going to be a time when we don't have to be in that godforsaken earth?"

"Obviously, the answer is NO." Damian couldn't hide his laughter. "That'll never happen. So quit asking."

Hunter nearly fell off his seat. "Why would we want to let you go? There's no fun in that."

"This isn't fair!" Nicolai whined.

"Oh, shut up already!" Xavier hissed.

Damian and Hunter looked at each other. "This isn't going to go well at all, is it?" they asked.

"No," Xavier answered. "It's not, because I'm getting mad already."

"I had a feeling he would say that," a voice behind them said.

Xavier whipped his head around to find Eve standing there. "Hey, baby," he said, smiling as she walked up to him.

"Oh, great," Terrion muttered. "One of the demon bitches is here, yay."

"Excuse me?" Xavier snarled, eyebrows raised. "What did you say?"

"DEMON BITCH," Terrion shouted. "Because that is what she is."

Eve's eyes began to fill with tears.

"Take...it...back," Xavier growled. He was getting angrier by the second.

"Hell no," Terrion retorted. "There is no way in hell that I am going to do that."

"Oh, but you will," Damian hissed. "You will."

"What if we don't?" Nicolai asked.

"Can I kill them now?" Hunter complained. "Niko is driving me insane."

"NO!" Xavier growled. "I need them alive so they can relive what happens when I get pissed off. So back off!"

"Sorry, X," Hunter replied, hanging his head in shame.

"No need for that—chin up," Xavier said, a smile on his face. "I know how you want to hurt these fools—but not yet. When the time comes, I will let you do so. But for now, they're dealing with me."

Eve suddenly began to cry and ran back towards the Manor.

Xavier was pissed. "Now look what you did," he yelled. "She was fine until you had to go and call names again. Back into the ground you go." With that being said, one giant vine shot out of the earth and grabbed the frightened Falcons, dragging them back into the ground. "Evie? Come back, they didn't mean it," he said. "They're nothing more than one big _minara_ rolled into one."

Damian snickered. "That is what they get for being so rude to Eve...oh, well. Serves them right for being jerks."


	57. Family Meeting, pt 2: Friday

**A/N:** Batista should still have the damn World title, Jericho should have been DQ'd because he used that piece of steel cage to smack the hell out of him.

That's it—I'm thinking of writing a chapter where Jericho is an enemy of Batista's and letting him beat the hell out of him...take that, Chris!

Also, let me know what you think about that chapter idea and tell me what you think Damian should do to this new character.

Chapter 55- Family Meeting, pt. 2: Friday

10:00a, Blackhorse Manor

Friday finally came, and the Manor was buzzing with excitement.

Damian, Xavier, and Hunter were up quite early, excited to meet their in laws.

"Wow, cool off, guys," Lara said. "Everything will be fine—don't worry. Plus, Aqua sent the invites on Wednesday morning. All of them said they would be here—including Miss Ana's sister Delicia, so there isn't anyone that isn't going to show up."

Hunter's eyebrows rose. "What time are they coming?" he asked.

Aquamarine spoke up. "They will be here at 6. Is that okay?" she asked.

"Absolutely fabulous," Damian replied.

"Then it's settled," Eden said as she tidied up the kitchen. "Now be good boys and do something to settle yourselves."

"Of course, Edie," Damian said, snickering. Hunter and Xavier followed suit, bursting into laughter. "Of course, Edie," they mimicked.

Damian whipped around, giving his comrades his dreaded "Death Gaze," which included an eye color change and a raised eyebrow. One look into Damian's eyes could cause instant death, but to his fellow Nightwalkers, it meant trouble.

"Sorry, Dame," Hunter said. "We meant nothing by that."

Damian let out a hiss. "I would hope not—and I do mean that. We have company coming, and I don't—much less want—to hurt you before they come tonight. Now, quit being bitches and pull yourselves together." He turned on his heels and retreated to his room, where Anastasia was still in bed, fast asleep.

"Aww, my angel," Damian murmured, gazing at Anastasia as she slept. "Always looking innocent, even in sleep." A smile crept onto his face as he continued to gaze at her.

"Damnit, X," Hunter growled. "You always have a way of getting me into trouble, don't you?" he asked a laughing Xavier.

"Yes. Yes, I do," Xavier replied, still laughing. "Plus you deserved it, you always find some way to get yourself into trouble with Dame."

"Ugh—whatever," Hunter grumbled. "I'm going to go find Ayla. Go bother Eve, you trickster," he continued, turning in the direction of his room.

12:00p, Blackhorse Manor

"Wow," Xavier murmured. "All this must be making the two of them tense." He also went in the direction of his own room and found Eve awake, already showered, and reading a book at the table in the center of the room.

"Ah, Shakespeare, I see," he murmured, kissing Eve's shoulder. "And how did you sleep last night?"

Eve turned to look at him, a smile on her face. "Pretty well, except for someone kicking the hell out of me, hmph," she answered. "Excited for today?"

"Of course I am." Xavier walked over to one of the four walk-in closets and rummaged around until he found a shirt he wanted to wear. Flinging it over his shoulder, he went into the bathroom. "I'm going to shower real quick, I should be out in a few. Don't do anything bad without me," he warned.

Meanwhile, Aquamarine, Damaris, Lara, and Mercedes were milling about the kitchen putting the final touches on the barbecue. "Ooh, a barbecue!" Aquamarine squealed. "This is going to be so much fun—I haven't gone to a barbecue in about 5 years. I can't wait."

"Calm down, Aqua," Mercedes said. "I can see you are excited, though. Barbecues are supposed to be fun. This will be my first one. I can't wait to see the look on everyone's faces when they sit down to eat."

"Yeah," Damaris said. "This will be interesting. Hunter has never really done these things before, and I can already see him chatting it up with the brothers Lantzere about the law and what can be done to improve it."

"Very true," Lara replied. "X is going to talk to Eve's mom and reassure her that her little girl is safe with him. I know it."

All of them laughed.

"What's so funny?" a voice behind them asked. Shockingly enough, it was Damian.

"Nothing, Damian," Mercedes said, quickly covering for the other three.

Damian's eyebrows perked up. "Right, and I'm the Queen of England. I know you girls—you're up to something, yet as usual, you're not telling me."

Mercedes pushed him out of the kitchen. "Get ready, your Majesty—they'll be here in a few hours."

6:00p, Blackhorse Manor

Everyone stood at the front door waiting to greet their guests.

Finally, three Nissan Pathfinders pulled into the driveway and up towards the house. When they stopped, everyone piled out of them and onto the lawn.

"Are we sure this is the place?" Lawrence Lantzere asked, a grin on his face.

"Positive," Delicia Parezides Tchanele murmured. "My sister did say it was a huge place. Damn, she wasn't lying. This place is huge."

Just then the door opened, and Eden welcomed the visitors, with Anastasia, Ayla, and Eve behind her.

"Welcome, everyone. I'm Eden, the head of housekeeping here at Blackhorse Manor. Shall we show you where dinner will be held? Also, can I get anyone something to drink while the girls and I finish preparing dinner?"

Eden was all smiles the entire time.

"I'll have a glass of white wine, if that is okay," Parrish said.

"Me too," Delicia said, brushing a feather from her dress.

"I think I'll have something later," Lawrence said. "I'm dying to meet Hunter—he and I have so much to talk about."

Eden shook her head. "How about I bring out the bottles of wine that I chilled and some glasses, and everyone have a drink when they're ready. In the meanwhile, I will call the guys outside to meet you all."

Hunter cleared his throat. "Welcome! I am thrilled you could all make it." He glanced at Lawrence. "Ah! You must be Lawrence. Very glad to meet you," he said, shaking hands with his mate's brother.

"Likewise, Hunter," Lawrence said. "Ayla has told me a lot about you. May I introduce the rest of your in-laws?" he asked.

Hunter shook his head. "But of course, brother," he said. "I'm excited to meet the rest of my darling Ayla's family."

Lawrence smiled. "I knew you would. These two lumps on the wall are Parrish and Theodore. Then there are David, Christopher, and Anthony—seems they're chatting it up with the maids—interesting. And that smashing woman over there is our mother—Catherine Whitestone Lantzere. Very lovely lady, no?"

"Definitely. May I get you something to drink while dinner is almost done?"

Lawrence shook his head. "A white wine spritzer would be wonderful. I'll honestly tell you that I'm not a hard drinker...I can't stand the smell of whiskey—ugh, it makes me sick."

Hunter snickered. "I can't stand the smell of that either—I only drink wine and cordials anyway. These two idiots laugh at me for that anyway."

"We do not!" Damian growled. "You must be Ana's mother and sisters," he said as he and Xavier walked down the stairs to greet their guests.

"That would be us," Delicia said, shaking Damian's hand. "My mother, Elizabeth, and sister Selena. We're very glad to meet you—and if you hurt my sister, I will kill you."

"Delicia!" Selena shouted. "Do you have to say that all the time? Seriously, Damian, don't mind her. She is too protective of Ana."

"I have to agree," Damian said, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Shall I get you ladies something to drink?"

"Sparkling water, with a mint twist," Delicia replied. "I'm sorry, Damian. I was so rude—it's just that Anastasia's had her heart broken so many times, I just get worried it may happen to her all over again. Please don't hurt her."

"That I won't," Damian answered.

"This lovely lady here must be Evie's mother," Xavier said, walking up to Eve's mother.

"That would be me," the woman answered. "Rose Kansperi. Very nice to finally meet the man who chose my baby."

"Likewise," Xavier said. "She has been treated like a queen the entire time. I would never hurt her."

"That I know, sweetheart," Rose answered.

Just then, Aquamarine came into the room. "Dinner is served. Won't you follow me?" she asked.

Everyone followed her to the backyard. Once they took their seats, Damian called for a toast. "I am finally glad," he began, "that we were all able to meet. It is an honor to have you all here so we can join together to make one big family." He took a sip of his wine as he sat down to eat.

A few hours passed, and the time for the guests to leave came. As they left, each person had something to say to the Nightwalkers.

"Thanks for having us, you were such gentlemen," Rose said to Xavier.

"My pleasure, Mom," Xavier answered.

Everyone finally left, and the maids immediately went to clean up the backyard.

"Today was a good day," Hunter said as he, Xavier, and Damian went to prepare for bed.

Eve, Ayla, and Anastasia also followed suit and went to prepare for bed. "That was fun," Eve said. "We should do that again one day."


	58. The Tale of the Bricklayer, pt 1

A/N: And now to introduce some more characters into the story—Nathaniel (Matt Hardy), Zacharias (CM Punk), and Elias (Jeff Hardy). Enjoy, and as always, read and review!

Chapter 56- The Tale of the Bricklayer, pt. 1

The next morning...

"Teddy Bear," Anastasia called. "Where are you?"

Damian's ears perked up. "In the great room, having breakfast with the boys, Eve, and Ayla. Did you need something?"

Anastasia made her way to the great room, a smile on her face. "Mmm, food! No, but we were wondering something—whatever happened to the bricklayer who made the coffins you were forced to sleep in for so long?"

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "His name was Zacharias, and he was a very quiet man. He was originally from Kyustendil, but lived in Sofia during the time we first battled the Falcons. Of course, he hadn't wanted to be the one to have that task handed to him, but Terrion is a very demanding son of a bitch, and whatever he said went as he said it should. Zacharias had two brothers, if I remember right. One was named Nathaniel, and the other was named Elias. All of them were bricklayers, but it was Zacharias' work that fascinated Terrion, who traveled all the way to Greece to simply look at bricks. He carved all sorts of intricate designs into the bricks they used in their projects.

Of course, back in the day, we weren't trusted by many people. But these three trusted us. And I know that Zacharias wasn't too thrilled to have to make coffins—much less for us, whom he and his brothers considered friends. First of all, he hated death—even talking about it made him ill. So we never told him how many people died crossing us.

But then the day came for the battle between the Falcons and ourselves. He informed Damian that they had come to him and demanded that he make three coffins out of lapis lazuli—for some reason it was supposed to ground our powers—which it did."

"Wow," Ayla said. "He was really steamed that he had to do that. I would have been mad too."

Damian took a sip of his coffee. "Well, Nathaniel and Elias were against that happening as well, but Terrion wouldn't hear of it. So, he had a few of his men go with Lysander to their home and beat the holy shit out of the two of them when Zacharias was away. He was in Athens closing a deal with the gentleman who provided the brothers with the materials they used to manufacture their bricks, and when he came home, there were his brothers, beaten and bloodied. What he didn't know was that Lysander was still there—the others had been killed by Nathaniel, who I am sure was a Nightwalker in a past life—it's not possible for one human being to kill someone like that. Lysander then took him by surprise and knocked him out cold.

When he came to, he woke up to find himself, Nathaniel, and Elias were bound to chairs and gagged. I immediately sensed something was wrong, for he and I were to meet at a tavern in town. When he didn't show up I went over to their house and saw what was going on. Lysander was threatening Zacharias with a shitload of threats—from murdering his brothers to torching their business—if he didn't do as the Falcons asked.

So, of course, because he didn't want his brothers to be killed for no reason, Zacharias did as he was told. He immediately went to work on this task—but he alerted X, Hunter, and I that this was going on. We weren't mad with him or his brothers—so we told him to continue his work. We would settle our unfinished business with Terrion and company later."

Xavier cleared his throat. "I think I will pick up from where Damian left off. What happened next was a battle between us and the Falcons. Where were we? Ah, yes, I remember. Zacharias took the task of making those cursed coffins for the Falcons to dump us into. The last thing I remember him saying when the Falcons ambushed us was that he was sorry."

"Why was he sorry?" Eve asked. "Was it because he had to make the coffins, or because he had to watch you being dumped into them?"

"It was both," Hunter said. "Both events—as well as the assault on his brothers—were too much for him. He died about three years later, in 1103, after we began our centuries long sleep. Elias died six years after him, in 1109. Of course, the Falcons had not an ounce of remorse for killing two of our friends. Nathaniel spent the rest of his life avenging the deaths of his brothers—and exacting revenge on the Falcons—on our behalf, of course."

Anastasia was shocked. "What exactly did he do?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Damian took another sip of his coffee. "He did quite a lot to them. Nathaniel went from rowdy to ruthless in seconds, destroying Falcon compounds all over Bulgaria in the name of vengeance. He was very angry for what they did to us as well as the deaths of his brothers, and made it as far as blowing up two of the three main compounds in Stara Zagora and Russe. When the Falcons realized that they couldn't stop a man who was beyond pissed off at them for their cowardice, they tried reasoning with him."

"Why would he have wanted to reason?" Anastasia asked. "That would have been useless."

"Indeed it was," Damian replied. "He didn't want to reason with them—Nathaniel had one thing on his mind, and it was revenge. He visited us as we slept, asking us for advice on how to stop the Falcons' reign of terror. I believe I was the one who reached into his mind and told him what he needed to do. I also promised him if he took the Falcons out, there would be a reward for him."

"And what was the reward?" Ayla asked.

"Immortality," Damian replied. "And to bring Elias and Zacharias back to life as well. I knew he missed his brothers when they died, and I figured to make him happy by bringing them back."

All three Nightbrides sighed. "What a good idea. Was there a happy ending after that?"

Xavier sighed. "I wish there was," he said between bites of his toast. "But, not all stories have happy endings. Terrion, Nicolai, and Lysander caught up with Nathaniel when he was about to destroy the main compound in Silistra—and sentenced him to death, which resulted in them getting hurt. I gave him the power to hurt people by force, which turned out to be a good thing for him. Lysander got hurt—bad—and Terrion and Nicolai wound up with more than broken bones."

There was complete silence after Xavier's part of the tale.

Hunter began to tell some more of the story. "Well, the Falcons wanted to sentence him to death, but as you can tell, that didn't happen. In fact, the first thing the brothers Isgniewska did to those three idiots was hang them in the trees at the Sofia compound. At first, they thought it was just Nathaniel, but they got the scare of their lowly, miserable lives when they saw Elias and Zacharias emerge from the darkness."

"What happened next?" Eve asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"What happened next was unbelievable. Nathaniel began to make their insides burn, while Elias and Zacharias charged them with crimes against humanity. Within seconds, the Falcons were dead. I don't know who brought them back to life or why they did, but they're in a world of hurt now for that," Damian growled.

"It was Trice," Xavier murmured.

Hunter and Damian's eyes began to glow dark red. "You're joking, right?"

"I wish I was, but I'm not. The dead bastard had nothing to say the night we killed him, remember? It was because he knew I was reading him like an open book—he was afraid to say he brought back our pasts," Xavier continued.

"Well, then, I guess we bring back the Falcons' pasts to haunt them," Hunter said, sighing deeply as he spoke.

"I've got a question," Ayla said. "What happened to the brothers?"

"Just like us, they took a long sleep. They all put themselves to sleep in 1126—not a long sleep like ours, but just enough to rejuvenate themselves. Let's see. It's 3120, and that was 1126. So that means they've been asleep for 1,994 years." Hunter was hesitant with this answer.

"I say you wake them," Eve said. "I want to see those Falcons dead—again."

"So be it," Damian said. "We'll wake them tonight."

"But do you know where they are?" Anastasia asked.

"Of course," Damian replied. "D'Annuso Park."

"Are you serious?" Ayla shrieked.

"I don't lie," Damian growled. "When we woke, we had their sleeping ground moved there so that no one would disturb them as the slept."

"Ah! Because no one would ever go all the way to the back end of the park," Eve said. "Good point."

"Then it's settled. We wake them tonight."

Meanwhile, at D'Annuso Park, three figures lay asleep in what seemed to be a rather long sleep.

_The Nightwalkers have decided to use us in time of need_, one remarked.

_Aye, that is true,_ another commented.

_Whatever for? _The third one was a bit confused.

_We shall see when we wake,_ the first one said. _But for now, rest. You'll need it._


	59. The Tale of the Bricklayer, pt 2

A/N: As usual, I don't own any of the guys from the WWE—they own themselves. I do, however, own all my OC's. And, as always, read and review!

Another thing, this is a continuation of the Tale of the Bricklayer—the next chapter will have Zacharias, Elias, and Nathaniel tell their side of the story as to what happened to the Nightwalkers as well as themselves.

Chapter 57- The Tale of the Bricklayer, pt. 2

"Are we ready?" Damian asked his fellow Nightwalkers. "We can't waste any time in getting them acclimated to this century when they wake."

"Would you chill?" Hunter snarled. "Everything will be fine...well, not everything...they haven't seen a woman in years—oh, shit, this will be interesting. The first thing they'll do is want women."

"Ha ha ha," Damian snickered. "I know one of them will want to have women the second he gets up—and that is Nathaniel."

Xavier burst out laughing. "He was always a horndog—every single night was a new woman, especially in his bed."

"Can you say player?" Anastasia giggled.

"Player," Eve and Ayla chorused.

"Very funny," Hunter said. "And how would you know there was a different woman every night?"

"Who do you think he told?" Xavier asked.

Damian and Hunter exchanged looks. "Figures he would tell you," they hissed.

"Don't be jealous," Xavier chastised. "He trusted the original player with his secrets. He couldn't help it."

"He could too," Hunter protested. "Original player, my ass."

"Shut up—it was in the past," Damian said. "No worries about it now."

"Anyway...ladies, we're off," Hunter said. "We should be back soon. Let's go, guys."

"Hurry back," the Nightbrides said as they kissed their mates.

"We will," Damian promised.

_I feel them coming,_ Nathaniel murmured. _It'll be great seeing them again. I have a lot to thank Damian for._

_I knew you were going to say that, big brother, _ Elias replied. _There would be no way the Nightwalkers would let us stay dead._

_I agree,_ Zacharias growled. _I can't wait till I get my hands on Terrion again. There will be hell to pay when that happens._

The Nightwalkers finally made it to the makeshift mausoleum where the brothers Igniewska lay in eternal slumber. Damian breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, now," Hunter said. "Shall we?"

"Yes," Xavier replied. "We shall. Go ahead, Dame."

Damian whipped his head around. "Me? Oh no, I don't think so."

While they were arguing amongst themselves, a restless Zacharias began to stir.

_Shut up,_ he growled. _I don't want to be in here forever, you know. _

_Oh, let them fight,_ Nathaniel snickered. _I think it's funny how humanized they've become over the years._

_Fuck them, I'm blowing this sleep cell, _Elias hissed. _Either you three wake us up now, or I'll wake myself, _ he threatened.

_Then do it,_ Damian challenged. _I dare you._

_Damian, I'm warning you,_ came the reply. Elias was determined to do things his way—something the elder Nightwalker knew would happen.

Suddenly the door to the mausoleum opened with a crash. The Nightwalkers stopped their arguing to stare in shock and disbelief as the three brothers emerged from their sleep chamber.

"What?" Nathaniel asked, a growl escaping his lips. "We weren't going to stay in there forever, you know. Plus you know me, I need some ass."

Elias and Zacharias both punched him in the arm. "Perv," they hissed.

"How in the hell did you manage to wake up on your own?" a very confused Hunter asked.

"Hmm, that is still a mystery to me," Elias said. "All I did was wish to wake us up, and it happened. Very strange."

"Very strange indeed," Xavier replied. "But amazing at the same time."

Nathaniel sniffed the air. "I'm hungry, and I need to get—what is the word nowadays? Ah, yes, laid—that's it. So lead me to both."

Damian laughed. "You find both of those in women, for some reason. Seriously, Nate. You haven't changed one fucking bit."

"No, motherfucker, that's you—not me, at least not yet," Nathaniel spat.

"So true, when would you like to be able to feast on mortal women?" Damian joked.

"Now, if necessary." Nathaniel was a true horndog—no wonder Xavier was the only one he told about his sexcapades.

"Anyway," Zacharias cut in. "Are we going to get away from here? People may notice something's amiss in this area."

"True," Xavier murmured. "As much as we rule this lovely city, some of our subjects will think their king and his henchmen have suffered some kind of disease or something."

"To the strip club!" Hunter exclaimed.

"Why a strip club?" Elias asked.

"Naked women everywhere," Xavier explained. "You'll like it. I promise."

"But first, we need to get you into some better clothes," Damian said. "Let's get you home and get you boys cleaned up."

"Don't you need to tell your women where you're going?" Nathaniel asked. "They might get mad."

"Trust me, I think they already know," Hunter said.

_We do,_ Ayla said. _Are they going to be turned too?_

_They already are, angel,_ Hunter said. _Their fangs have yet to emerge._

_Nothing, my darling. Are they coming back here first?_

_Yes. _

_Good. I can't wait to tell the girls. Maybe for the maids' sake I had better warn them about Nathaniel—I know what a sexual monster he is...and I want them to be safe from his charms._

_Don't do all that._

_Yeah, right._

_Woman, you had better not..._

_Just come on and get home already._

Hunter closed off the link between him and Ayla. "My lady suggests we get home—apparently there are some very agitated women who await our return with you." They set off in the direction of the Manor.

Meanwhile, at the Manor, Ayla was running around trying to get things done.

"Stop! You're making me dizzy," Aquamarine yelled. "Sit down!"

Ayla stopped what she was doing—just in time for Hunter, X, and Damian to come through the door with three men she didn't know.

"Baby!" she cried, wrapping her arms around Hunter's neck.

"Nice to see you too, angel," Hunter replied, burrowing his nose into her neck.

Just then, Anastasia and Eve came down the stairs. "Who do we have here?" they asked.

Nathaniel spoke first. "Nathaniel Igniewska, at your service. You must be Anastasia, and you must be Eve," he said, taking each girl's hands and lightly kissed them.

Zacharias was the next one to speak. "I'm Zacharias, youngest brother of Casanova over here. Very nice to meet you. And this one is Elias—I'm sure he would introduce himself, but he is a bit occupied at the moment."

Occupied was not the word to describe Elias, who was staring at Damaris as she busied herself washing dishes.

In fact, it was more of an infatuation for him. His fangs began to slip out from under his lips as he continued to stare at Damaris.

"Uh oh," Nathaniel said, nudging Zacharias. "He's at it again. Look at him."

Elias was now in the kitchen chatting with Damaris, watching her every move, his hands resting on the kitchen counter as they spoke.

"What uh oh?" Damian asked. "Oh, shit."

Elias was capable of a lot of things, which included sweeping a woman off her feet—and then dumping her. Damian didn't need that happening.

The next thing to happen was Damaris leading a rather hungry Elias to her room. She had secretly been put into a trance by Nathaniel so she wouldn't resist his younger brother's charms.

_Damaris,_ Damian growled as he watched the scene before him. _Fight it. Don't let him get to you._

_Oh, let him have his fun,_ Nathaniel hissed. _Remember, all sleep and no play made Elias very, very agitated._

_Just as long as she isn't dead in the morning,_ Hunter cut in. _I do need her, you know._

_Fine,_ Nathaniel groaned. _I will make sure of that—you do the same, Elias._

Elias let out a groan of his own. _I promise not to hurt her. All I want to do is fuck her brains out—and feed in the process._

_Same old Elias,_ Xavier laughed. _Go have fun._

Soon enough, a series of moans could be heard from Damaris's bedroom. Everyone began giggling.

"Oh, God, yes." Damaris continued to moan.

Elias grunted as he continued to feast on her. "Hmm," he purred. "Something tells me someone hasn't gotten any in a long time. And I definitely want to change that."


	60. The Tale of the Bricklayer, pt 3

A/N: What man doesn't like strip clubs? LOL.

Men shapeshifting into women to rape unsuspecting men. My sick mind is back at work! Yes!!

Also, Misty is none other than Maryse...ugh. I think I have more than a death wish here. Remember I don't own these people, the WWE does. All I own are my characters.

Enjoy the chapter!!

Chapter 58- The Tale of the Bricklayer, pt. 3

"Later, girls. Behave yourselves. We'll be home later," Damian called.

"We will—are you going to go to the Lucky Sevens?" Ayla asked.

"Of course—we promised the boys a night at the club," Hunter said.

"Okay," Eve said. "Have fun."

The next day was spent showing the bricklayer and his brothers around the Manor and the city. All throughout the tour, the brothers Igniewska were in awe with what they were seeing.

"Wow," Elias said, his mouth wide open. "This is one huge city you have here. Much bigger than Kyustendil."

"I have to agree there," Zacharias replied, pausing to close his brother's mouth. "This is huge."

"You forget you're not in Bulgaria anymore," Hunter murmured. "The District of Columbia is a lot more happier than there."

Nathaniel laughed. "I figured this was why you had moved us here as we slept. Makes a lot of sense now."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "Does it?" he asked.

"Sure does. You wanted us to be near all the excitement," Elias replied.

"What excitement?" Zacharias asked. "The only excitement you've seen so far is between Damaris's legs."

"Damn," Elias hissed. "That was so cold, man. Can you blame a man who needed to get some?"

"I thought that man was Nathaniel," Zacharias retorted.

Nathaniel shot him a nasty look. "Put me in the same sentence as him again, and I will kill you myself," he growled.

"Now, now," Xavier said. "People are beginning to stare."

Hunter was now noticing the stares. "What the hell are you looking at? Don't you have lives of your own?"

"Sorry, Lord Hunter," came the reply—one of the voices came from Matthew Bristol, the owner of the Lucky Sevens, the gentlemen's club.

Hunter's mouth dropped. "Matthew? So sorry, man. I don't know what the hell I was thinking."

Matthew beamed. "Not a problem. Shall I reserve a table for you and your friends?"

Hunter nodded. "Of course. Let me introduce you. These are the Igniewska boys—Nathaniel, Elias, and Zacharias."

Matthew smiled. "Oh, I do remember you telling me about them. Nice to finally meet you guys."

Nathaniel grinned. "Likewise, Matthew. I do remember these guys promising a trip to your establishment—how about now? Or are you not open?"

Matthew's eyes widened. "Nah, dude," he said. "I left Chris in charge of opening the club while Lexi and I went to talk to our vendors about a possible early stock up on food and liquor. You can go on over there. Just let him know I said it was fine."

Elias pushed a strand of purple hair out of his face. "Sounds like a plan to me. Do you have any bourbon in stock?" he asked.

"All kinds, man," Matthew replied. "All kinds. Just let Misty know what kind you want, and the bottle is on the house."

"Perfect. Because I need a drink."

Zacharias cleared his throat. "So do I. Let's go."

Nathaniel sighed. "I need me some Misty," he muttered under his breath, already imagining the things he would do to the bartender the second he laid eyes on her.

"What was that?" Elias asked.

"What? Oh, nothing." Nathaniel replied. "Let's just go—the women await us."

_He's up to something,_ Elias muttered.

_How is that NOT possible?_ Zacharias responded.

_It's not—we all know what'll happen. He'll find one woman, then get her alone, and then—instant meal._

_I will not, _Nathaniel cut in. _I'm not that bad, am I?_

_Yes. You are,_ Hunter replied.

Nathaniel stuck his tongue at his brothers and Hunter. "Very funny," he hissed as they walked up the stairs leading to the Lucky Sevens.

"Lord Damian! Lord Hunter," Misty called. Misty Beregrand was the lead bartender at the Lucky Sevens. "Hello, Lord Xavier. How're y'all doing tonight?" she asked in her very strong French Canadian accent.

"Misty, darling," they said. "Let us introduce you to some friends. Nathaniel, Elias, Zacharias, this is Misty Beregrand."

"Charmed," Elias said, taking Misty's hand and kissing it.

"What a showoff," Nathaniel said, his eyes never leaving Misty's.

"Misty, it is a pleasure to meet you," Zacharias said, extending his hand.

The girl blushed a bright red as she took his hand. "May I get you guys a table?" she asked.

"Of course," Hunter replied. "Maybe that one in front—close up to the stage?"

"Sure," Misty said, leading them to the table. Quickly seating them, she left to go get drinks. "I'll be back with the drinks and that bottle of bourbon you asked for—might I suggest Jim Beam? It's quite good."

"That would be fine," Zacharias said, watching Misty head for the bar.

_Back off, Zacharias,_ Nathaniel growled. _This one's mine._

_Of course, brother, I was being nice and introducing myself. Not my fault if you drain her dry._

_I won't do that. Maybe I'll take her to the back and do some things._

"You two are hopeless," Elias huffed.

Damian cleared his throat. "How about you stop fighting, children?" he asked.

"Sure. Sorry, Father," Elias said, laughing until tears ran down his cheeks.

"Don't call me that," Damian growled.

"Well, you are like a father figure to us," Zacharias said.

"Behave," was all Damian said as the drinks arrived at the table.

"If you need anything else, let me know," Misty said, running towards the kitchen.

All six men sat in silence and drank as they watched some of the girls dance on stage.

"Wow, that chick can move," Zacharias murmured, continuing to watch the girls. "Damn."

Elias huffed. "Then why don't you grab one?" he asked.

"I'm taking my time," came the reply.

"Well," Hunter whispered to Xavier. "Nate's not wasting any time," he continued as Nathaniel excused himself to run to find the restroom—in other words, Misty.

Damian cleared his throat. "How about we do some talking?" he asked. "Tell us about your sleep for the centuries. How was that?"

"Long—and utterly boring," Elias said. "I kept having dreams that we would wake up, but I gave up on that about two centuries ago."

"Yeah, right," Damian said. "You didn't dream of that—you wanted some ass."

"It was hard not to think about that after you had met your doom in those coffins," Zacharias said. "This was probably why Nate arranged for us to take that sleep anyway."

"What he did was the best thing for you. We couldn't afford to lose our best friends. If we were going to leave the world for a while, we wanted you to be there too," Hunter replied. "Be glad you're here now—the women back in our day were prudes compared to the ones you're surrounded by now."

"That is true," Elias sighed. "These women nowadays are sexy, have brains in their heads, and can say no to something they don't want to do or be done to them."

"And they like men with accents, or wear uniforms," Xavier stifled a laugh as he said that.

"Anyway," Hunter said, looking in the direction of the kitchen. "Where'd he go?"

"Bathroom," was all Elias said.

Truthfully speaking, Nathaniel had ventured to the bathroom. But he wanted more. When he was done with the bathroom, he slipped into the wine cellar, where Misty was in the process of working on inventory.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm," he groaned as he watched the girl run a count of all the bottles of wine in the large room. "Damn, she looks good. Need to get a piece of that...now." He let a low growl escape his lips as he continued to watch her.

Misty turned around. "Maybe I'm imagining things," she murmured as she turned back to her work—and right into Nathaniel's muscular frame and brown eyes.

"Nathaniel?" she cried, backing away. "What are you doing in here? You can't be here."

"I can't? Oh, my dear sweet Misty," he said, locking the door as he moved closer towards her. "I've already done that," he continued, his eyes turning green.

"What do you want?" Misty asked, terrified.

"You, of course," He reached for her, ripping her clothes to shreds in the process. "Hmm, what do we have here?" he murmured as he came across her standing in her bra and underwear.

"Why?" came the frightened reply. "Why me?"

"Because," he began. "I haven't seen a woman since I put myself and my brothers to sleep. I have hungered for a woman's touch for centuries—and I need it now. Don't deny me what I need, and I won't hurt you." He gently pushed her back into her chair. "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you, I promise you," he purred.

Misty trembled with fear. "What are you going to do?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Nathaniel smiled. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm just going to do something that will make us both happy," he whispered in her ear as he stripped himself of his clothes. He knelt before her, parting her legs as he did so.

"Please don't do this," she begged. "I beg you, please don't do this."

Misty's cries went unheeded. Nathaniel's long fingers began to explore her now naked body, and she didn't know what to do as he continued his quest on her.

"I know you haven't had any in a long time. I can smell it," he hissed. "I love the taste and feel of women who haven't been touched by men in ages," he continued. "You'll do fine, if you don't fight me." He let out a laugh as he spoke.

Meanwhile, everyone was beginning to wonder where Nathaniel had gone off to. "No man in his right mind would stay in the bathroom that long," Damian growled. "Something has to be up."

"He probably found someone to snack on," Hunter said, smirking.

"Yeah, that someone was probably Misty," Xavier said. "He couldn't keep his eyes off her the whole time."

"Oh boy," Elias murmured. "Here we go. Should we leave him alone?"

"He'll be fine," Hunter said. "Leave him be."

Back in the wine cellar, Nathaniel's sexcapade was getting a bit steamier—just the way he liked it. He now had the frightened girl lying on the floor, his face between her legs, arms wrapped around her waist. His tongue was making its way inside her, eliciting moans from her lips. Luckily for him, Nathaniel had soundproofed the room so no one could hear the noises she was making.

"Good girl," he growled. "Tell me how it feels."

"Mmm...ohhh...yes, that's so good," she moaned. "Don't stop."

"I have no intentions to do so," he growled. "As I said before, I'm making us both happy—my appetite is being sated, and I'm giving you the best sex that no mortal has ever given you. That's enough to make me happy. What about you?"

"Yes," Misty said between moans.

"You taste so good. I need more," he growled, pushing his tongue further inside her. "I never want this to end."

"It doesn't have to," Misty gasped.

She was met with another growl. "Is that so?" he asked.

"I know of the Nightwalkers' customs—I will be your mate—that is, if you want me to," Misty answered him.

"Well, I do need a mate. That was rather fast, I thought I was going to have to kidnap you or something—guess not. You've made it easy for me," he murmured.

_Guess what? _Nathaniel's voice entered Damian's mind.

_What?_ Damian had been watching some of the girls dancing and hadn't been paying attention to anything but that.

_I got me a mate._

_Already?_ Damian was in shock. "Looks like he snagged Misty after all," he said to the others. "When exactly is Damaris going to be your mate?" he asked Elias.

"I was going to ask her in a few days' time, once I got adjusted to the city," he answered.

"Good answer," Hunter said. "I'm going to have to find a new servant girl, since one of my boys took her away from me."

"Don't be so sad," Xavier said, laughing. "Someone will come—sooner than you think."

"True," Hunter said. "There will."

"Anyway," Damian said. "Tell us what happened after we were put in the coffins."

"So," Elias continued, taking a sip of bourbon. "The Falcons were still riding on their reign of terror, making everyone's lives miserable.

Neither Zacharias or I were alive at that point, but when you made the deal with Nate to bring us back, we were able to see what they were doing to our people once we returned to the land of the living.

Nathaniel's own reign of terror was more powerful than that of the Falcons. We saw what power he had and how he was using it. I have to say that Zacharias was amazed with our brother's new abilities. Once we got better, since we were still sickly and sad looking when we returned, Nate gave us our own powers.

I think I was happy with the ability to manipulate people into doing what I wanted them to. It was fun killing those who oppressed us—and you can trust that a lot of the remaining Falcons suffered the most from me.

Hundreds of them died trying to save their precious fortresses, but Nathaniel made sure to see them burn in hell for their stupidity. Even as they lay dying, he made meals out of their blood to ensure his survival. He hunted those who fled from the main fortresses, catching them before they jumped on ships leaving the country. Nights were filled with the screams of the dying as we feasted on them. Those were some good times, and I know you would have been proud of us."

The Nightwalkers looked at each other in shock. "I'm surprised," Damian said. "Seems like we taught you well from the grave," he snickered.

"That you did," Zacharias replied. "But let me continue the story."

"Go ahead," Hunter said.

Zacharias sighed, and continued the story. "I was sickened by the taste of blood the first time, but I figured it would get better—and it did.

Nate reassured me that it would make me sick the first time, but it would taste like honey as time passed. He was right—it did taste sweet.

I was never happier to use my powers to maim enemies. The first person I attacked was none other than Ermias, Terrion's right hand man. He was walking alone in the woods surrounding the fortress at Silistra—and totally unarmed. I hadn't eaten that day, so I was pissed—and hungry. The bastard hadn't seen it coming, and I attacked him as he got closer to my hiding place. I drank his blood to the point of death, but let him go so he could warn Terrion, who was in Stara Zagora, of my coming.

Terrion wasn't too thrilled to see the best soldier in his army damaged—or dead, for that matter—Ermias died of blood loss two hours after I attacked him. So, a party was sent out to search for me in the woods. I got to them first. Like Ermias, they never saw me coming. Blood went flying everywhere, and bodies were crushed under my feet. When Terrion saw his army wasn't coming back, he himself came and tried to fight me. He went back to Stara Zagora with broken bones.

I, however, stayed at the border of Stara Zagora and Silistra, just in case Nicolai and Lysander wanted a war. Turned out Lysander did want one—but was stuck in Russe battling Elias, who wiped out all of his troops, except for one, which returned to him to warn him that there was another Igniewska attacking them. That troop then went to Silistra to help Terrion, but met up with me as well. I figured to fuck with their minds a bit. I turned myself into a beautiful woman—Ilira—to seduce these broken bastards into going insane.

It worked, of course, and when the idiots realized that I wasn't a woman, I was raping and tormenting them. Each night was spent kidnapping them and fucking them—literally. I fed on their pain, and I relished each scream and cry of pain they let out. It felt more than great—it made me feel alive."

"Guess you didn't master the shifting so well," Damian said. "They're not supposed to see that a man was slobbing all over them."

"No," Zacharias said to him. "It did work. The plan was to have them look down and see me—not Ilira—sucking them off. When they jumped up in fright, I either bit off their cocks or scratched them off—and laughed as they tried to run away."

Xavier laughed. "Classic!" he exclaimed. "I would have never thought of that. Good work, Zacharias."

"Why, thank you," Zacharias blushed. "It was all in my design. But Nate gave me the idea to do it."

They continued to watch the show until Nathaniel came back from his whereabouts to tell his part of the story.

"Ahh," Nathaniel growled. "Ride me, baby. Just like that."

"Ooh," Misty cried. "Of course," she said, speeding up her thrusts.

"You feel so good on my dick, you know that?" Nathaniel asked, staring into her eyes.

"Do I?" she asked.

Nathaniel smirked. "You do," he said, flipping her onto her back. "My turn," he said, smiling wickedly. He then proceeded to thrust into her, his thrusts becoming harder and faster each time.

"Mmmm...don't you think we should get back outside?" she asked him. "What if the others get worried?"

"They aren't," he reassured her. "They're watching the stage, let them be. But you're right, we should." He quickly willed some clothing for them to change into, then they went back out to the club.

When they went back outside, everyone at the table clapped their hands. "Congrats, Mist," said Chris, who had just joined the group.

"About time," Damian snickered. "We thought you killed her or something."

"I killed her, alright," Nathaniel said. "I killed her with romance."

"Bang! I died and went to heaven," Misty said, stifling a giggle.

"Well, that's good," Elias replied. "We always wanted a sister anyway."

"What'd I miss?" Nathaniel asked.

"We were telling Dame and the guys about what happened after we came back to help you," Zacharias informed him.

"Hm," Nathaniel said. "Did you already tell them how you tricked Lysander's remaining troops into thinking you were a woman?"

"Yep."

Nathaniel sighed. "Then it's my turn," he said, clearing his throat. "What happened when some of the idiots of soldiers came around my way will shock you. But first, I will admit that I gave Zacharias the idea to trick them into thinking he was a woman.

Nicolai was always the scared little shit, and I knew he would try something stupid and send his forces out to catch me. Knowing that I was powerful beyond powerful, he planned an ambush—which never worked. Seeing that Zacharias had been successful taking out Lysander's men and letting the remaining troop live, I decided to have some fun of my own.

I knew Nicolai was hiding out in his summer fortress in Kyustendil, so I went there and played with his mind for a while. For three weeks, I made things...how do you say—go bump in the night? I tell you, he was so scared, he was afraid to leave. I made all kinds of illusions to frighten him with—including scenes of me feeding on his maids. That was enough to make him go insane.

And insane he went. It was funny to see his face—all pale and shit. I loved every second of it.

As for the troops, I just attacked and raped them. I wasn't about to take back the idea I gave my brother. It just seemed natural to just take them over and over again for what they were—pathetic shells of men. Nicolai was angry with that, but what was a shit like him going to do?"

Hunter answered that question. "Simple, just go with it. And he is still a scared little shit."

"What did he do, baby?" Misty asked.

Nathaniel continued with the story. "He sat there and cried. He begged God to stop this madness and cast the demon destroying his troops to hell. He even ran out of the fortress to beg me to stop.

BAD idea.

The second he did that, I pounced on him, carrying him to the front of his troops and brutally tearing him apart in front of his men. Then I took him to my lair and fucked him nonstop. Why should I have stopped? I had him in my grasp for days, and his ass needed to be beaten down and taught a lesson. I was so hard on him that I even fed on his blood when I felt like killing him. All the while he begged for me to let him die.

That was too easy, I needed him to live so he could see what we were doing to him as well as Terrion and Lysander. Or at least what I was doing to him. By this time, Elias had captured Lysander, while Terrion was caught by Zacharias—and never the ones to be timid, they were doing horrifying things to them as well.

The remaining troops for each of them were killed off—meals for us to really make sure we survived.

The time finally came when the Terrion, Lysander, and Nicolai were to be charged with murder—the deaths of my brothers—and your confinement in those fucking coffins. I strung them in the trees while Elias read them our version of a rap sheet. Zacharias prepared their graves. Then we all got together to destroy them. I burned them alive, while they collected their ashes.

Finally, the ashes were buried in the graves, and we put ourselves to sleep shortly after."

Hunter was stunned. "Wow," he said. "Amazing, but answer one question."

Zacharias smiled. "Certainly."

"How did you wake up?" he asked.

"We set ourselves to sleep for 2,000 years, but if we had to, we would wake up 6 years earlier—turned out we were needed sooner. That's all," Elias replied.

"That's all we needed to know," Damian said. "And trust me, you are needed more than ever, my blood assassin."

"That's it!" Zacharias exclaimed. "From now on, we're the Blood Assassins."

"I like it," Elias said.

"As do I," Nathaniel replied. "Has a nice ring to it."

Xavier smiled. "Then it's settled—you're the Blood Assassins. Fighting alongside the Nightwalkers to battle whoever stands in the way."


	61. Vengeance

A/N: Figured to make the Blood Assassins wreak havoc on the Falcons. Read and review!

Chapter 59- Vengeance

"Well," Damian said to his entourage, "I think we should head home. The girls must be wanting to know what was taking us so long."

"I agree," Hunter said. "It was a good night, and Nate snagged a woman in one evening—wow."

They arrived at the house in a good forty-five minutes.

"Am I good, or am I good?" Nathaniel asked them.

"You learned from the best," Xavier replied.

"Again," Hunter muttered. "Original player my ass—and I say that nicely."

"Don't be jealous," Xavier said. "Not my fault he's horny."

"Hey! I'm right here," Nathaniel said.

"Your point being?" Elias asked.

"I'M STILL STANDING HERE!"

"Okay, bro," Zacharias said. "Please don't fight out here."

Nathaniel quieted down. "Just stop talking about me like I'm nonexistent. Please."

"Sorry," Xavier and Hunter grunted.

"It's fine, when do we get to see those bastards?" Nathaniel asked.

"Now, if you want," Damian said, heading for the back of the house.

They all followed him into the forest, where the Falcons were still being held hostage by Xavier and Mother Nature.

"Where are they?" Nathaniel thundered, his eyes turning black.

"Right here," Xavier pointed to a spot in the ground.

"There?" The Blood Assassins were perplexed.

"Right here." Xavier waved his hand over the spot, causing the earth to move. The Falcons flew out of the ground, stunned and scared shitless.

"Now what?" Lysander groaned, not realizing that he was alone—Terrion and Nicolai took off running.

"Is that really how to talk to your captor?" a voice he didn't recognize asked him.

"Who is that?" Lysander continued trying to recognize the voice—and then it hit him. "Elias?" he asked, growing more and more afraid.

"The one and only," Elias said, stepping in front of him. "Hello, Lysander. Lovely to see you again—NOT really."

"Lysander's eyes went wide with shock. "Get away from me."

"Aww, why? Did I hurt you?" Elias asked him as he stroked his cheek. "Is this any way to treat me?"

"Maybe you should take it easy on him," Hunter suggested.

"How about no?" Elias roared at him. "My blood is boiling so much right now. I want to be harder on him now than I was back then. Let me have my fun."

"Sure, buddy," Hunter replied. "Go ahead." He, Damian, and X led Misty to the house so she could get acquainted with everyone and everything in it, leaving Elias, Nathaniel, and Zacharias to get reacquainted with the Falcons.

Elias turned back to Lysander, who was quaking with fear.

"Now, as I was saying—why aren't you happy to see me?" he asked a frightened Lysander.

"The horrifying things you did to me, you monster," Lysander spat.

"I want to do more than all that—I want to make you suffer more. I was soft on you when I humiliated you and that pathetic bunch of shits you called soldiers. But, dear, sweet, Lysander...what to do with you?" he asked sweetly.

"Kill me now, oh God," Lysander cried. "Don't let me go through this all over again," he prayed.

"There is no God for you," Elias said. "Not for murdering me and Zacharias—and not for putting Nathaniel through hell. Not at all. I will make you suffer so bad for what you did."

"No! Please! I beg you...not this again!" Lysander pleaded.

"And I'm not going to kill you—not yet, at least," Elias assured him. "In time, Lysander, in time," he whispered, pulling an even frightened Lysander to him. "You have no one to call for now, because Nicolai and Terrion are somewhere in the forest—and my brothers aren't too far behind."

He was right about that. Knowing that he was right about that, he tossed Lysander to the ground and stood over him.

"Boy, I think I am going to have a great time raping you tonight," he chuckled. "And maybe more, if you behave."

He got on all fours and crawled towards a very frightened Lysander, who kept backing away. "Just relax, my pet. You have no one to blame for this but yourself," he replied, destroying their clothes as he continued to move closer to him.

"Let me go!" Lysander shouted, only to be hushed by Elias.

"Scream for me," Elias snarled, reaching for the terrified man's hardened member. "Scream like you did all those years ago," he continued, his tongue flicking at the head as if it were candy.

Lysander howled in fear. Elias laughed at him, his green eyes now turning dark blue.

"I knew you could do it," he teased, shoving him onto his back. He finished teasing Lysander, then got down to business and plunged his own member inside the mortified Falcon and began fucking him senseless.

"It's good to be in charge," Elias grunted, howling with delight at how easy it was to recapture his sworn enemy and control him once again.

"Good, I lost him," Terrion growled, panting loudly. "I can head back to the Manor now."

"Lost me?" Zacharias hissed. "I think not," he said, materializing before a stunned Terrion.

"What? How?" Terrion shouted. "How is this possible? What kind of sorcery is this?"

"No sorcery," Zacharias assured him. "Just powers I am proud to have, you arrogant fool—the same powers I used on you centuries ago," he continued. "And I am going to have a good time using them on you all over again."

"Sure you will," Terrion taunted. "Hit me with your best shot, motherfucker. Go on."

"My pleasure," Zacharias snarled. "My pleasure," he said, pulling Terrion towards him.

"What are you going to do?" Terrion asked, his voice cracking.

"More than you can imagine," Zacharias replied, shoving him to the ground and kicking his legs apart. "Try to guess what happens now," he taunted, ripping his and the frightened man's clothing to shreds.

Terrion's screams rang through the forest as Zacharias repeatedly plowed into him, his growls matching the Falcon's screams of pain.

"Oh, how I missed that," Zacharias sighed as he continued to tear into Terrion, who was becoming more and more frightened of what Zacharias had become.

Nicolai ran as fast as he could, looking over his shoulder as he did so.

"What are you running from, my little bitch?" a voice asked.

"Ack!" Nicolai shrieked, running smack into a tree, which knocked him out cold.

"Poor little bitch," Nathaniel whispered, kneeling beside him. "You just had to spoil some of my fun. Oh, well, I guess we could play in your current state." He stroked Nicolai's hair as he spoke. "You're a lot easier to deal with when you're quiet. I like it this way—no one has to hear you scream, my pet." He cackled as he continued to stroke the fallen man's hair.

"Uhhh..." Nicolai was beginning to stir. "What happpened? Oh, my God—Nathaniel!" he shrieked as he recoiled in horror. "What did you do to me?"

"I did nothing—idiot, you knocked yourself out when you ran into a tree. I just tried to help you out," Nathaniel snarled, baring his fangs.

"Yeah, right," Nicolai said. "How did you know I was here?"

"I can smell your fear. And right now it's making me feel a bit—oh, forget what it's doing to me," Nathaniel hissed, his eyes turning blue. "Come here," he hissed again, dragging a frightened Nicolai towards him.

"No! I won't! Not again," Nicolai shrieked. "Let me go!"

"Shut up," Nathaniel's voice grew harsher. "Even then, your voice was annoying. Now, I just want to rip out your throat. But I won't, because I want to hear your screams."

"Let me go!" Nicolai repeated. "Now!"

Nathaniel laughed. "Go, I dare you."

Nicolai eyed him suspiciously. "I don't think so, you may get an idea in your head to chase me again. And do those horrifying things to me."

"Always the scared little shit," Nathaniel chuckled. "That'll never change, will it?"

Nicolai took off running. Nathaniel's laughter filled the air. "I can still find you," he teased. "And I will."

Nicolai was now more than paralyzed with fear. "Please, I beg of you," he shouted, still running. "Leave me alone, please." He kept running—until he ran into what he thought was another tree.

Too bad it was Nathaniel and not a tree.

"Gotcha," Nathaniel hissed. "Come here, my little bitch. You don't want to make me angrier, do you?"

Nicolai shook with fear. "Wha-what are you going to do?" he cried.

Nathaniel glared at him. "Don't play games with me, you worm," he snarled. "You know what I'm going to do to you. Stop running from me."

"Funny you should say that," Nicolai said, brandishing a small knife. "Stay back!" he warned.

"Aww, is that any way to treat me?" Nathaniel whispered, materializing behind him and wrapping his arms around the frightened man's waist. "Drop the weapon," he said in a singsong voice. "You're not going to hurt me, and you know it."

"But I will," Nicolai wailed as the knife fell from his hands. "I will."

"No, you're not," Nathaniel taunted. "You're going to become my good little bitch all over again. And, as an added bonus, maybe I'll go a little easy on you."

Nicolai sighed. He was trying so hard to reason with the demon inside Nathaniel, but it was useless.

Nathaniel's rage was slowly building, and Nicolai's sanity was slowly waning.

Nathaniel wanted nothing but revenge, and he was going to get that revenge, no matter what.

"You've been very, very bad...and you're going to pay. Trust that," he growled. "But enough chit chat—I'm going to do what I wanted to do to you right now. Stay where you are."

Nicolai froze in his tracks, tears falling from his cheeks. "As you wish," he whispered, the tears still falling.

Nathaniel's arms wrapped around his waist once again. "Good. That's all I want to hear—nothing else," he murmured, whipping the crying man around and shoving him against a tree.

"Oh, just let me die," Nicolai continued to sob.

"No," Nathaniel said. "Not going to—I need you alive, remember?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now call me master as I do the same horrifying things I did to you centuries ago," Nathaniel said with a snarl.

"No!" Nicolai shouted. "Never!"

Nathaniel chuckled at Nicolai's sudden burst of courage. "Wrong answer, my bitch. For that, I'm going to make it worse." He smacked Nicolai in the face, knocking him onto the ground, then leapt onto the stunned Falcon.

"No!" Nicolai shrieked as Nathaniel's hands tore at his clothing. "Not again—I won't let you!"

"Too late," Nathaniel growled, ripping his clothes apart. "Too late." he hissed. "I'm going to enjoy this," he continued as he plunged into Nicolai. "And so are you."

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nicolai's screams tore through the night sky.

The Nightwalkers were sitting in the study when they heard screams coming from the forest.

"What the fuck was that?" Hunter asked, his ears perking up.

"Looks like our Blood Assassins are having some fun," Damian snickered. "I think a Falcon fucking was in order...looks like they're hellbent on mentally destroying the Falcons," he continued.

"I don't know if I want to think about what they're doing," Xavier murmured.

_I think you do,_ Elias said.

_No,_ Xavier said. _I really don't._

_"_Let's let them be," Damian said. "They'll be fine."


	62. Breaking the Falcons

A/N: I know I was a bit harsh on the Falcons in the previous chapter (and probably the one before that), but they were horrible men. I just figured to make them suffer—badly. Read and review, and as always, enjoy!!

P.S. Intizara will be introduced in the next chapter, since it continues with the Falcons telling (more like lying to) the Blood Assassins about the Order of the Blood Rose.

Chapter 60- Breaking the Falcons

The torture and rape of the Falcons continued a bit more, until the Blood Assassins decided to meet up in the middle of the forest with the tormented men. It was still dark, so Nathaniel, Elias, and Zacharias were able to bring each Falcon where they knew they wouldn't be able to run—or hide.

The Falcons, on the other hand, began to stir. "What happened? Lysander asked. "Are we dead?"

All three Blood Assassins burst out laughing.

"Are you for real?" Zacharias said, rolling with laughter.

"No, not dead," Elias hissed. "A bit tied up for now. Dead? Not yet, at least—but don't think we aren't going to hurt you."

Nicolai's eyes widened with fear. "Let us go!" he shouted.

The Blood Assassins turned to stare at him. "What did you say, my little bitch?" Nathaniel asked, lifting Nicolai's chin with a bloody hand.

"Nothing," Nicolai muttered, looking at the ground.

"Man," Elias groaned. "X softened these bitches up way too much. They're nothing but shells of their former selves. Ugh."

"Nah, he didn't. He toughened them up and weakened them when he knew we would wake." Nathaniel sighed. "And it worked. I liked working Nicolai the way I did centuries ago when he tried to kill me—all over again."

"I think I will like this century," Zacharias replied. "Imagine what we could do, since we are the Nightwalkers' henchmen."

"Rid the city of scum like this. I wonder who else from any of our pasts was brought back?" Nathaniel exclaimed.

Elias shook his head. "I don't think anyone else was brought back. The man who brought these three back is dead—killed after he spit on Dame's picture and told him off at his trial."

"True," Zacharias murmured, rubbing his chin. "I think that we may have some enemies in this time and age. I remember reading Damian's mind as we slept and feeling the concern he had for the girls. This was mainly because of these weasels," he growled, pointing at the Falcons.

Nicolai suddenly felt the urge to yell at the Blood Assassins. "You know what?" he challenged.

"No, what?" Elias snarled, whipping his head around to face him. "What, you whiny little shit? What do you have to say?"

"No, Nicolai!" Terrion groaned. "Why now?"

"Hush, Terrion," Lysander warned. "I think he's onto something. That courage his father had has finally rubbed off on him. Let him talk."

"If you say so," Terrion mumbled. "But if they kill us—again—I know who to blame."

"Don't worry—like we said, no one is dying—yet," Nathaniel said. "Please, Nicolai," he whispered. "Speak your piece."

"As you know, your buddies have a few enemies in this century. There is an organization that a few of the city's elders—those of which are now dead—killed by Damian as retaliation for their insolence—were members of.

This organization is called The Order of the Blood Rose. Their sole purpose is to get rid of the Nightwalkers, and anyone who stands in their way is taken out—literally. There have been a few times where Damian has made examples of the organization's founders by having Hunter break bones. And believe me, that's not pretty when Hunter Majistal grabs someone's hand and breaks it, trust me."

Nathaniel was getting frustrated. "Tell me something I already fucking knew, Nicolai. Really, like I don't know how Hunter gets when he is mad—enlighten me."

Nicolai's plan wasn't working at all. Nathaniel was seeing right through the Falcon's story.

And so were Elias and Zacharias.

"DO NOT FUCK WITH ME," Nathaniel roared. "You had better be telling us the truth, Nicolai—or you know what'll happen," he added, licking his lips.

Nicolai shuddered. "I don't lie," he said.

Nathaniel grabbed him by the throat. "Repeat that," he growled. "I want to hear it again."

"I don't lie," Nicolai repeated.

"Oh you don't, do you?" Nathaniel hissed, his eyes turning blue. "Try that again, fuckface. I dare ya."

"I do not," Nicolai repeated again.

"Enough of this!" Zacharias growled, furrowing his brow. "Just damage him already. I tire of this," he added, his eyes also turning blue.

Nathaniel's head slowly turned towards Nicolai, who he had thrown to the ground in his rage. "You heard him. I think it is time I played with you again."

Nicolai's courage turned to fear. "No-no, Nathaniel. Don't you have a playmate in the Manor right now?" he asked, eyes still wide with fear.

"Misty? She can wait—plus she couldn't get enough of me the night I met her—wait a fucking minute, are you trying to be funny with me?" he asked.

"No! I wasn't," Nicolai protested. "Honest."

"Tsk, tsk, Nicolai," Nathaniel's rage was building up again. "You were always a terrible liar. I'm going to be a LOT rougher with you for that," he grinned, baring his fangs.

"No! Not again," Nicolai began crying. "You'll kill me."

"My point exactly," Zacharias cut in. "And quit crying. You are a man, not a baby."

"Leave him alone!" Terrion and Lysander shouted. "Have you no shame, no feeling? No heart?"

"No," The Blood Assassins growled. "Now, Nicolai, tell us more about that...that cult," they threatened. "Or else."

Lysander cleared his throat. "Okay, okay. The Roses, as the followers are called, are led by a woman named Intizara. As far as I know, she is somewhere in this city—or outside of it."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Elias asked.

"Because it was the name of the woman they kidnapped and beat to death," Zacharias reminded him.

"Oh—I do remember that," Nathaniel said. "These fools said that she was a traitor to her country—which was Persia, or Iran as the mortals now call it—and had her beaten when they caught up with her. Do you think the elders that were killed brought her back?" he asked.

"It is a possibility," Elias replied. "The Falcons chose to persecute people in other lands—not just Bulgaria. We would have to ask Damian if this were true."

"It is true!" Terrion yelled. "So what? We beat an innocent woman to death. Whatever."

"Oh, for the love of all things bloody," Nathaniel cursed. "Do we have to go through with this again? That's it, you're coming with me." He grabbed Nicolai by the collar. "Let's go have some fun, shall we?"

"No! No! NO, I won't," was all Nicolai said before being dragged off behind a cluster of trees.

"As for you two, I require quiet now. No more talking," Zacharias said.

"Screw you!" Terrion hissed.

"Exactly what I want to do to you," Zacharias taunted. "Screwing your pea brains out is all I want to do right now."

"Haven't you humiliated us enough?" Lysander complained.

That earned him a slap in the face from Elias. "Never ask us that. We decide when we are through tormenting and/or raping the hell out of you!" His eyes began to turn crimson.

"You're never going to be done," Lysander said, blinking back tears. "Never."

"Exactly," Zacharias hissed. "We'll never stop until you tell us what we want to know."

Back at the Manor, Damian had been listening to everything the Falcons had been telling the Blood Assassins. A frown crossed his face as he let out a growl.

"What's wrong, big man?" Xavier asked him.

"The Roses—that's what's up. Intizara only created that to get back at the Falcons. And there the Falcons are telling Nate, Elias, and Zacharias that they're out to get us. However, I hope the Falcons are getting what they deserve. All the things they're saying are lies. I hope they know it, though."

"They probably do," Hunter said, walking into the room. "And they're dealing with it now. Intizara was murdered by them for no reason. They, meaning the Falcons just don't know that we brought her back."

"True." Damian began to look at the way Hunter's mind was working.. "How could I forget? And the elders that we took out weren't with her. In fact, they despised her ideas about us."

Now it was Xavier's turn to wonder about the situation. "Please tell me you're not serious?"

"We are," Damian said. "The Falcons are trying to feed lies to our comrades."

"Well then," Xavier said. "I hope they know they're being told shit."

Meanwhile, back in the forest, the Blood Assassins were still being their usual evil selves and still torturing the Falcons.

"Now," Nathaniel said, pulling Nicolai towards him. "Tell me the truth, I know you're lying. I won't bite you—hard, at least."

_You know you're lying,_ Xavier snickered. _But he and the other two are lying to you as well. Intizara was brought back to avenge her death—not what they're telling you._

_Oh, are they now?_ Nathaniel was slowly getting furious. "Tell me, my bitch, are you lying to me? Because if you are, now would be the time to tell me." His fangs began to lengthen as he spoke.

"No!" Nicolai shouted.

"Are you sure? Because if I find out the truth, you and your buddies are getting destroyed and sent to hell."

"I'm sure!" Nicolai shouted again.

_He lies. Make him suffer some more,_ Damian growled.

"Again, are you sure? Remember, I can smell your fear." Nathaniel asked again.

"Okay! Fine! We were lying!" Lysander screamed at him. "We just wanted to see some blood—other than ours—shed. Is that a crime?"

Elias glared at him. "And why would you do that?" he asked.

"I know," Zacharias said. "They wanted to put us against Damian, Hunter, and X. Simple. But—as usual—it wasn't going to work. Nice try, boys," he grinned.

Nathaniel's patience was wearing thin. "Enough," he raged. "Zacharias, you take Terrion somewhere and deal with him. Elias, you do the same with Lysander. I will keep Nicolai here so I can...how do you say it? Negotiate with him—ah, that's it. Negotiate." he grunted, an evil smile on his face."

"As you wish, brother," Elias replied. "Come on, my pet—you and I have some talking to do."

"As do we," Zacharias threw Terrion over his shoulder and walked away.

"And now for you, my little bitch," Nathaniel growled. "You know you are in deep shit for lying to us. What do you think I should do to you?"

"Let me live?" Nicolai asked.

"Oh, no, dear Nicolai. That I am already doing. Try again." Nathaniel's eyes began to turn green.

"Maybe forgive me?" Nicolai was getting desperate, and Nathaniel was known to be unforgiving—any wrongs against him were dismissed with no chance of an "I forgive you" coming out of his mouth.

Centuries went by when he would hear the voices of his fallen foes asking for forgiveness—only to remain cold and heartless towards them, even in eternal sleep.

There was no way in hell he would forgive the Falcons for trying to get him and his brothers into a fight with the Nightwalkers. It was inexcusable—for the Nightwalkers and the Blood Assassins were longtime friends who knew to trust each other no matter what.

"Listen, leech," Elias growled at Lysander. "I'm not going to ask you again—why the lies? Were you trying to get out of your punishment?"

"No," Lysander answered. "I was wanting you to stop punishing me."

"Well, my pet, for that, you're getting it worse this time," Elias said, laughing wickedly. "And we're going to use some toys this time." He grabbed something out of his pocket.

"What is that?" Lysander's eyes went wide with fear.

"A gag. That way no one—and I mean no one—hears you scream," he hissed. "For once, I figured we could have some privacy. Aww, don't cry," he said, wiping the tears that were beginning to fall from Lysander's face.

"WHY do you think I'm angry?" Zacharias growled, slapping Terrion across the face. "Why?"

"BECAUSE," Terrion growled back. "We would have gotten away with it too. Bastard."

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me," an outraged Zacharias shouted. "You're the one in trouble—all because of Nicolai." He slapped Terrion again. "You know what I want to do right now?"

"What?" Terrion spat.

"Feed. All this yelling has made me hungry." Zacharias was blunt with his answer. "And no, you're not going anywhere." He sank his fangs into Terrion's throat without saying another word.

Misty paced back and forth in the great room. "Aren't they going to come back?" she asked. "I miss my Nate."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "They will—they just have a lot of unfinished business with the Falcons is all. Do you want me to call him?"

"Please," Misty pleaded.

"Of course, darling. Hold that thought," Damian replied.

_Are you going to take a rest and come into the house? Misty misses you, Nathaniel,_ Damian said. _And Damaris is missing Elias as well,_ he continued.

Nathaniel's ears perked up. _Does she? I will also let Elias know that Damaris misses him as well._

_Yes,_ Damian replied. _She does—and she wants to spend time with you._

_I guess I could take a break. Have X put these lying maggots back in their prison,_ he muttered. _They sicken me._

"My brothers," Nathaniel called. "We're going to have to call it a day for now. Apparently my Misty misses me—Elias, Damaris misses you as well."

"Fine with me," Elias smiled. "I was getting tired anyway."

"So was I," Zacharias said. "Is X going to put them away?"

"I am," Xavier replied, materializing before the brothers. "Let me do it now." He opened the ground before them with a wave of his hand. At once, the ground opened and a large vine shot out of the hole, grabbing the Falcons as it did so, and the hole closed as fast as it had opened..

"Night, liars," Elias grinned. "Have a nice sleep—I know I will."

The four of them walked up to the Manor laughing.


	63. The Order of the Blood Rose

A/N: I know I said I was introducing Intizara in this chapter, and so I will. She is none other than the Glamazon herself, Beth Phoenix (I know I put her and Santino down on my poll to be the next villains in the story, but I had a change of heart here). Don't worry—Santino doesn't play a part in this chapter—he will be in a later chapter.

Don't ask me why there was a bed in the dressing room...there just is.

Also, looks like there will be some more characters as well as two new women in the house: Xochitl, Hunter's new maid, and Hippolyta, one of the dancers at the Lucky Sevens. Since Zacharias has no mate, he picks Hippolyta after watching her dance.

Enjoy! And read and review, as always!

Chapter 61- The Order of the Blood Rose

"Yay!" Misty and Damaris shrieked, running up to their mates. "We thought you were never coming home."

Nathaniel and Elias laughed. "Why wouldn't we?" they asked.

"Because," Misty said. "You were in the forest a very long time—was the torture of the Falcons that bad?"

"They did deserve it." Zacharias walked into the room, blood on his clothes. "I need to find a mate. I feel so left out."

"Aww," Elias said, smiling. "That is so true. You have a bitch, but no mate. We have to do something to help you."

"Thanks, bro," Zacharias replied. "I think I'll find this one on my own."

"If you say so," Elias grunted.

"I think I have an idea of who I want anyway. The dancer from the Lucky Sevens—you know, the one who was dancing all over the place."

Everyone exchanged confused looks.

"The one who was dancing upside down on the pole—Hippolyta."

"Ah! I know who you mean—the blue and blonde haired chick. God, she was adorable," Elias sighed.

"Yup. That's her," Damian said, shaking his head. "I don't know how she does that—isn't someone afraid she'll fall and break her neck?"

"Guess not," Zacharias said. "That is why I like her so much, she is so daring, like me."

"Yeah, so true," Nathaniel said. "But how do you propose to get her?"

Zacharias pondered the thought. "I do not know."

"How about just cornering her and talking to her?" Damian asked. "That always seems to work when nothing else does."

"Hmm," was all Zacharias said. "Then that is what I will do."

Nathaniel smiled. "Then it's settled! We'll have her come here and meet you. That way you guys get to know each other."

"Is that even possible?" Elias asked.

"She can take a day off from dancing on her head to pay a visit to the Manor," Xavier said. "Hunter will make sure that happens...by the way, Hunt, did you find a replacement for Damaris yet?"

"That I did," Hunter said. "Her name is Xochitl, which is Aztec for _flower_. In my opinion, she seems like one, but she looks tough."

"Who picked her out?" Damian asked.

"Damaris. She and Xochitl are friends, and she knew she needed a job," Hunter explained.

"That was very good, babe," Elias said. "You always know how to help others, I like that."

"Thanks, Eli." Damaris gave him a kiss for the compliment.

"Gah!" Zacharias said. "I'm going to the Lucky Sevens."

"Hey! I'm coming with you," Elias said.

"No, I'm going alone, that way I can talk to her," Zacharias replied.

"Okay," Hunter said. "That is fine, you'll probably be back in an hour."

"Something like that," came the reply. "I'm off."

"See ya later, dude," everyone said.

A few minutes later, Zacharias was at the Lucky Sevens. After greeting Matthew, Lexi, and Chris, he took a seat at the table nearest to the stage. Scanning the club, he saw Hippolyta in the distance. Leaning back, he placed an order for a bottle of Irish Mist and a plate of buffalo wings. When the food came, he sat back and began to enjoy his meal.

Little did he know he was being noticed too.

"Hi," a voice said to him as he ate. To his surprise, it was Hippolyta. "You're Zacharias, am I right?"

"That you are, my dear. Hippolyta, I presume?" he asked, wiping his mouth on a napkin.

Hippolyta laughed. "That is me, the one who dances on her head. I've heard Damian talk about that and wonder how I haven't broken my neck yet."

"How is that possible?" Zacharias asked. "That you can do that?"

"Lots of practice," Hippolyta replied. "And praying that nothing happened to me. Guess all that worked."

"I bet."

"You're funny. I'm not dancing the entire night, maybe we can talk after my set?" she asked.

"You got it." Zacharias smiled.

"I gotta go, I'll be back in an hour. Enjoy your meal," Hippolyta said, turning to go to the dressing room.

"I will," Zacharias murmured, trying his hardest to refrain from grabbing her ass as she walked away. "Damn."

_My God, she's so gorgeous, _Hunter said. _Have fun. Are you going to bring her back here after?_

_Of course, _Zacharias said. _Why wouldn't I?_

_Just checking._

_She's about to dance. I gotta go._

"He's fine—the 'head dancer' is about to go on—and he needs his attention focused on her. We'll probably see them later," Hunter announced.

"Good—leave him alone," Xavier chastised.

Soon enough, Hippolyta began to dance. Zacharias couldn't help but stare at her as she danced. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as she began to dance upside down on the pole—he was still in shock as he watched her.

"Wow," was all he said as he took another sip of his drink. He pulled Chris to the side. "Dude, how the hell does she do that?"

"Lots of practice," was all Chris said. "Why don't you ask when she comes back? She's almost done anyway."

"Very true," Zacharias replied. "I think I will."

Pretty soon, Hippolyta had finished her dance and was walking off the stage with her tips in hand. "I'll be right back, Z," she whispered in Zacharias' ear.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm," Zacharias murmured. "I'll be right here."

_More like my cock right inside you, my dear._

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Intizara Chantazrene, the head of the Order of the Blood Rose, stood in front of her followers. "We need to figure out a way to keep this city beautiful—and blood free. Anyone is a target of our leaders—you all saw what happened to Robert Trice—and woke me in the wake of his murder. I believe that it was all on him for getting Damian Zinesdiet angry—after all, desecrating a portrait of the Dark Destroyer is NOT a good idea."

"But, Mistress," one of her followers, a girl by the name of Celestina said, raising her hand. "What if he was told to do that?"

"That isn't possible, Celestina," Intizara replied. "He had a motive to do it—it was done to piss Damian off. That is all."

"Oh, I see," Mariana, another follower, said. "Lord Damian would have had him killed anyway. Very interesting."

Intizara smiled. "You're catching on."

Back at the Lucky Sevens, Hippolyta was in her dressing room reapplying her makeup when she felt a hand slide across her stomach. Whipping around to see who would do such a thing, she smacked right into Zacharias.

"Z, what are you doing back here? No one is allowed to be in here," she said, surprised he would do such a ballsy thing.

"Hush," Zacharias commanded. "Look into my eyes, darling Hippolyta," he whispered, his eyes turning blue.

"Yes, of course," Hippolyta responded, staring into his eyes.

"Good girl. Now stand against the wall and face me," he said, walking towards her.

"Yes, Z." Hippolyta did as she was told. She immediately went towards the wall and pressed her back against it.

"Good, now spread your legs apart."

Without another word, Hippolyta obeyed his commands.

Zacharias got down on all fours in front of the hypnotized girl. Pulling down her underwear, he settled himself between her legs and began to lick at her thighs. "You like?" he purred.

"Yes," Hippolyta answered, gasping as he began to lick her core.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.

"No."

Zacharias smiled. His plan was working. He had managed to take control over Hippolyta, and once he was done, he planned on taking her back to the Manor for more control.

Meanwhile, back in the other part of the city, Intizara had dismissed her followers so she could have some time alone.

_Hear me, Damian,_ she said.

Damian's ears perked up at once. _Intizara? What is wrong?_

_I fear I'm being watched. I know they're alive._

_The Falcons?_

_Yes, the Falcons. I am hoping to God they're not._

_They are—and Trice was the one who brought them back._

Intizara was outraged. _No! They cannot be!_

_But they are...no worries, though—the Blood Assassins have everything under control._

_Oh, that is what you call the brothers now. I like it. They did cause a LOT of trouble for the Falcons when I was murdered._

_That is the truth, my dear. I will make sure to have them keep the bitches at bay. Meanwhile, I will have Hunter put out his henchmen to watch over your followers and the compound as well._

Intizara smiled. _You're always so kind to me,_ she said, baring her fangs. _But I have my own special guard. You know that._

_Atta girl. Get them ready just in case something comes up._

_Will do. And get Hunter to do the same._

_That I will do, _ Hunter said, just tuning in to the conversation. _Talking about me again, eh?_

_No,_ Damian said. _Intizara and I were just talking. She feels something bad going on._

_From the Falcons, I am guessing?_

_Yes,_ Intizara replied. _I feel they're planning something, even though X has them buried in the ground._

_Hm, no surprise there,_ Hunter murmured. _What can I do to help?_

_Get your men to stand guard at Intizara's compound, _Damian replied.

_No problem...when do you need me to be there? _Hunter asked.

_As soon as possible._

_No problem._

_Great! _Intizara was more than happy to see that her old friends planned on helping her again. _I'm assembling the guard as we speak. I'm going to go now._

_As will we,_ Damian and Hunter replied, shutting off the connection to Intizara.

Back at the Lucky Sevens, Zacharias was still working on Hippolyta. His growls, mixed in with her moaning, made him harder than he already was. Getting back onto his feet, he led her over to the bed that was in the dressing room.

"Lie on the bed for me," he commanded.

As she did before, Hippolyta obeyed his commands.

"Very nice." He willed her clothes away, spread her legs apart, and began to feast on her. "Mmm, you'll make a fine mate—yes, indeed."

Hippolyta's moans continued as Zacharias suddenly lifted his head to stare at her.

"More, oh, God, Zacharias, more," she screamed. "Please, I beg you."

"My pleasure." Zacharias tore off his pants and slipped his throbbing cock inside her, pausing to let her adjust to him. "How much more, darling?"

"More," she gasped. "Please."

Zacharias began to thrust into her. He closed his eyes and sighed. This was a bit relaxing, more than the torture he handed Terrion the first time they faced each other.

Except that this wasn't him torturing Terrion.

This was him providing nonstop pleasure to a very willing woman.

He continued to thrust into her, growling as he went. "Tell me what you want," he hissed, his eyes turning green.

"I want it harder," Hippolyta panted. "And faster."

Zacharias didn't need to be told twice—he quickened his pace as her walls closed over his shaft. "Damn," he whispered, smiling.

This continued for a while until Zacharias felt that it was time for them to leave. "Get your clothes back on—you and I are going back to the Manor. I feel something is wrong there."

"Okay," Hippolyta replied.

Back at the Rose Complex, Intizara assembled her Black Rose sentinels. "Remember what I said. Shoot if the person looks like an intruder—but ask first. I also asked Hunter to grace us with his own sentinels. And the Blood Assassins are helping as well. It wouldn't be nice if we shot a Nightwalker."

"Yes, Mistress Intizara," the women replied.

"Good, now here comes Hunter with his sentinels. Behave."

"Yes, Mistress," came the reply.

Intizara turned to face Hunter, who was walking towards the group. "Intizara," he saluted, getting on one foot before her.

Intizara responded by also getting on one foot before him as well. "Hunter," she replied.

"How is everything so far?" he asked.

"Nothing yet."

"Good," Hunter smiled. "I've already assembled my men. I see you've done the same with your gals here."

"Yes," Intizara replied.

"Wonderful."

**To be continued...**


	64. Preparing for a War

A/N: This is a continuation of the last chapter, _The Order of the Blood Rose._ No new characters in this story, but there is some talk of a new one while the Falcons are in their underground prison.

Chapter 62- Preparing for a War

"Wonderful," Intizara repeated, standing up. "Everything is falling into place. But I can't shake off the feeling that they're plotting something."

"I understand," Hunter said, also standing, but looking over his shoulder. "Hey! Stop fraternizing, we're here on a mission!" he shouted, his face turning red.

"Sorry, boss man," came the reply.

"Oh, leave them be," Intizara said. "They're just acquainting themselves with my Black Roses. It's quite alright."

"Disregard my order," Hunter said. "Carry on, men."

"Let's go talk," Intizara said. "They'll be fine...if anything, one of the girls will come get us."

"All right, then. We'll go talk," Hunter said, following Intizara into the compound.

Meanwhile, the Falcons began to formulate a plan on how they were permanently getting out of their underground prison.

"So, how are we getting out of here?" Nicolai asked. "I can't take anymore rapes or torture by those fucking barbarians."

"Well, this shit wouldn't have happened if you didn't mouth off, Niko," Terrion retorted.

"Fuck off, Terrion," Lysander growled. "I didn't see you doing anything to get them off our back."

"That was because I was too busy fighting Zacharias off of me. He bit me that last time," Terrion hissed.

"Looked like you were enjoying it, from what I saw," Lysander snickered.

"Fuck you," Terrion shouted.

"Let Zacharias do that for you, he needs the release more than we do," Nicolai said, laughing.

"And what about you, Nicolai?" Terrion asked. "No, don't hurt me, Nathaniel, please," he mocked.

"I didn't do all that," Nicolai said.

"Hah! Yes, you did," Lysander said. "How would _he _react if he heard how we treated the Blood Assassin situation?"

"He would be mad," Terrion said. "And seek out ways to kill us as well as them."

"That is true," Lysander murmured. "He would be more than pissed to see that we're nothing but a bunch of babies."

"Doesn't matter," Nicolai said. "Maybe he'll let us out of here before he wreaks havoc on them."

Back at the Rose Complex, Intizara and Hunter were still talking. "So what now?" Hunter asked. "From what I can read off those fools is that _he_ is to return—somehow."

"He?" Intizara asked. "Not _him._"

"Yeah. Him." Hunter's eyes began to glow a dark shade of violet. "And you know what that means for us."

"Death to us all—and your mates as well," Intizara grimly replied.

"Which isn't going to happen," Hunter reassured her. "I won't let it—neither will Dame or X."

"But we're not strong enough against _him_," Intizara retorted.

The Falcons were enjoying their plans to bring back the Nightwalkers' sworn enemy.

"This will knock the socks off of them," Nicolai said laughing. "I can't wait to see what happens when they meet face to face. Plus—."

He never got to finish the sentence, because Xavier brought them out of the ground to be questioned yet again.

"Tell us what you know about _him_," Damian said.

"Like hell we will," Lysander replied.

Damian caught him by the throat. "Tell us what you know, or I'll personally make sure you don't use your voice again. Do I make myself clear?"

Lysander nodded. "I'm sure you already know what'll happen, so I don't know why the fuck you're asking," he snapped.

"I'm asking because you are the ones that were allied with _him_ when the Blood Assassins were picking your troops off one by one. Note that I am not getting at anything that isn't true here," Damian snapped back.

"Isn't that good news?" Nicolai scoffed.

A kick to the back of his head from Xavier knocked him out completely. "Want to say something else?" Xavier growled.

"That wasn't called for," Terrion said. "You know he didn't mean anything."

"So, what you're telling me," Intizara asked, "is that _HE_ will come back and some new shit will happen."

"Yeah," Hunter said. "This isn't going to go well."

_Hm, that is what you think,_ a shadowy figure murmured as it watched Hunter and Intizara talking. _Now to destroy those mortals protecting you._

The figure kept moving as it watched the compound. Unfortunately for it, though, Hunter had detected something.

"Hold that thought, Inzi," he said, shushing her. "I heard something outside. I _felt_ something."

"Okay," Intizara said, remaining seated. "Go check it out, then."

"I am. Stay here."

_That's it, Nightwalker. Come out here. I'm going to enjoy—_

"Turn around, motherfucker," Hunter growled.

"What if I don't want to?" came the reply. But the mystery person turned around anyway.

"You," Hunter growled, his eyes turning black. "How is this possible?"

"Easy, Nightwalker," the mystery person replied. "You might have to ask the Falcons how that happened."

From her window, Intizara watched the whole thing and gasped.

Sorry this chapter is so short, but the so-called he will be mentioned in the next chapter...


	65. Him

A/N: The _he _in this chapter is Ivailo, who is none other than JBL, who caused so much trouble for the Falcons for refusing to do their bidding, and getting away with not following their orders. This chapter is going to be interesting, because he is going to do something for the Nightwalkers, Intizara, and the Blood Assassins that no one would imagine him doing. This is really weird for me to write about JBL doing something nice for someone—really.

There is another _he_, though: Kerneels, but he will be mentioned in more detail in the next chapter.

Also, Tiberius is—gasp—Santino Marella!! Oh no, Hell finally froze over!! LOL.

Enjoy!!!

Chapter 63- _Him_

"Ivailo," Hunter repeated. "Again, how is this possible? And how do I know that you're NOT going to kill us?"

"First of all," Ivailo replied, a smirk on his face. "I was brought back by that fool Trice. It looks like he was able to bring a few of your enemies back to life. Then I see the lovely Intizara is alive and well, and you and the others are alive and well too...very nice. It's okay, Inzi, come out. I won't bite."

Intizara came out as he finished his sentence. "If you're going to kill us now, Ivailo, please do it now," she said.

"No, I'm not, but I have a proposition for Hunter. Kerneels, just like me, has somehow been brought back to life by the Falcons. He has a bone to pick with the Falcons as well—especially since he was used as a killing machine by them after you Nightwalkers were imprisoned in those coffins. I want to get rid of him," Ivailo replied.

"How do we know this isn't a trick?" Damian asked as he, Xavier, and the Blood Assassins materialized before the trio. "You've tricked us so much in the past—and we've nearly paid with our blood for your mistakes."

"So very true," Nathaniel said. "I watched you latch Damian to a tree, then watch him suffer before your eyes. Are you not a fellow Bulgarian? Why would you do such a thing to the man who saved you from the Falcons?"

"Aye, I am a Bulgarian. But I had to do what I had to survive. And Damian, I apologize for that—I was forced into doing that not by any of those three you hold hostage. It was their leader, Tiberius, who made me put you in that tree. I should actually thank you for helping me out," Ivailo continued.

"I did?" Damian asked. "How come I don't remember that?"

"You should," Hunter said. "That was the time he saved you from getting burned to a crisp from the sun, remember?"

"Now I do," Damian replied.

**Flashback: Russe, 1041**

_"Put him in that tree, if you value your life, Ivailo," came the order._

_"No!" Ivailo hissed. "I won't. He has done nothing to harm us," he continued._

_"How dare a-you tell me that a-you are going to not do what I say!" Tiberius roared._

_"Yes, I do dare to say I am NOT doing as you have told me to do. What in the hell do you think to do this for? Haven't the Nightwalkers helped you with your enemies?"_

_"They have, but I don't have a use for them anymore, so DO IT NOW!" Tiberius roared again._

_"Fuck you, and no. I will not," Ivailo growled._

_"Fine. Get him out-a my face. Put him in the dungeon. I will think of something to do to him later," Tiberius said, a frown on his face._

"Wow," Intizara said. "That must have been interesting—who knew Tiberius was such a bitch?"

"Damn Romans," Ivailo said. "They had no remorse for anyone—especially Bulgarians—at all. If we told him no to his face, the bastard had us flogged. Unbelievable."

"Well, they were ruthless," Intizara said. "Remember when they attacked Persia?"

"So true," Nathaniel said. "I heard about that, and I felt so horrible, millions of innocent people. Tiberius was a part of that raid, I heard."

"He was," Intizara replied, a tear falling down her cheek. "I lost my family in that raid."

"Don't cry," Ivailo said. "That was the past—this is now. And he is LONG dead. So no worries there."

"But," Elias said, smirking. "That leads back to you. Ivailo, what are you doing here? What's the purpose of this visit?"

"I'm just here on the mission of getting you all to understand that there is some kind of new evil because of the Falcons. This is all. I'm not here to kill anyone—can we go inside? It's freezing out here," Ivailo answered, shivering.

_I read his thoughts like you asked,_ Intizara said to Damian._ He's clean. _

_That is good. I thought he was on some sort of mission to kill us...I guess he was testing us is all, _Damian replied.

_Scary sort of test. He was hoping to get Hunter out first because he knows Hunter's temper very well, I guess, _Intizara said.

_Either way, he passed, _Damian said.

_I agree,_ Intizara replied. _I am glad he's not here to kill us. But there is something out there that will be the end of us unless we can stop it._

_Don't be afraid, dear Inzi. We'll find this evil and kill it...or something like that. _

"Yes," Intizara said. "Let's go inside, it is freezing out here." She went into the house, the others following suit.

"Now," Ivailo said, removing his cloak. "As I was saying, there is something bigger and badder—Kerneels—than the Falcons—that is moving across the region...the Falcons always spoke of him as 'the big evil.'"

"I do remember them speaking of this 'big evil,'" Damian said. "But some of them made it seem like a joke. I have seen them laugh at the sound of that. But I also had no clue it was Kerneels."

"Why, though?" Zacharias asked. "Didn't they think anything would happen?"

"To you," Ivailo said. "That is why they laughed. They had no fear of him hurting them—just you."

"Hm, then we'll have to destroy him. That is all," Hunter said.

"But how?" Xavier asked. "He is beyond powerful. There possibly cannot be a way to stop a werewolf killing machine. He has tasted too much blood—it's impossible to kill when he has done that."

"Why are the Falcons bringing back so many enemies?" Intizara asked, tears once again forming in her eyes.

"Easy. To spite Dame, X, and Hunter," Elias grunted. "This isn't going to go down so well. I can feel it."

"Hm," Xavier murmured. "But why would he want to destroy us? We didn't cause him to be the way he is now."

"But," Ivailo said. "They're going to get the hell ripped out of them for waking him. Maybe we should leave them to get that. They'd die miserably anyway."

"Makes sense to me," Hunter said, grinning.

"Nah," Elias said, winking at his brothers. "I think I want to torture them some more. Torturing them is fun."

"What exactly have you been doing to them? Wait, I don't want to know," Intizara said, a frown on her face.

"Exactly," Zacharias snorted.

"I don't want to know either, because I am sure it involved the usual rape sequence," Ivailo said.

"It did," Elias replied. "It was fun to do things that I hadn't done in a long time to Lysander. In fact, I think he had fun."

"I think not. He was praying for you to stop and just kill him," Ivailo said.

"Yeah, but who cares? I was having a LOT of fun with him, he refused to play by my rules, though. Everyone knows what happens when my rules aren't followed."

"Ugh, we know," Damian said. "Don't tell the details, then. Please, for the love of God, don't."

Everyone laughed. "Okay," Elias said. "I'll stop."

"But what do we do about Kerneels?" Xavier asked.

Suddenly the windows of the great room blew open. An evil laugh rang through the halls as glass began to break throughout the compound. Screams could be heard throughout the entire building.

"What the hell?" Intizara growled. "Now what?"

"It's him," Ivailo said. "It's Kerneels."

"Great," Damian said. "Now what're we supposed to do? He's unstoppable at this point."

"Everyone hide!" Intizara said. "Maybe he won't know where in the house we are."

"Where?" Elias asked.

"Follow me," Intizara said. "I have a panic room in here. He'll never find us."

"But what about the others?" Xavier said.

"All heading towards the other panic rooms. If he sees that no one is here—since the rooms are scent proof—meaning he won't be able to detect anyone's scent," she replied.

"WHERE are you, Intizara? I know you're here somewhere," Kerneels hissed.

"Hurry, let's go," Intizara said as they all piled into the panic room. "He won't find us here."

"I hope not," Ivailo said. "He'll kill us."


	66. Kerneels

A/N: Even though I lost ALL my files because of a computer-fixing accident, I am still going to make sure I keep writing. So here's the next chapter—try to guess which WWE superstar Kerneels is in this chapter. And Bettina is a new OC. Enjoy!!

Chapter 64- Kerneels

"You hypocrites," Kerneels growled as he sniffed the air. "You couldn't have gone far, I can smell it."

_Not if I can help it,_ Intizara said.

_Oh, but I can,_ Kerneels replied, a smirk on his face. _Come out, Inzi. I won't bite._

"No!" Intizara screamed. "I won't. You'll kill me and everyone else where we stand!"

"No, I won't. I promise," Kerneels said.

"Somehow, dude, no one here believes you," Damian hissed, materializing in front of the stunned werewolf.

"Nightwalker," Kerneels hissed back.

"As always, not a pleasure to see you," Damian replied. "State your reason for intruding, Kerneels—or I may damage you myself."

"I like the sound of damaging you better," Kerneels growled.

"Hm, that's what you think," Damian said, his fangs lengthening.

"I can do that too, hypocrite," Kerneels taunted, his fangs lengthening as well.

"I'd like to see you do that without teeth," Hunter's voice trailed around the room as he materialized in front of Kerneels, landing a kick to the werewolf's gut.

"Oof," Kerneels grunted as he flew into a bookshelf.

"Good one, Hunt," Damian said, lifting Kerneels over his shoulders. He then tossed him into another bookshelf, landing a kick to his face for good measure.

"Is that all you motherfuckers got?" Kerneels shouted, his face twisted into a mask of rage as he spat a mixture of blood, saliva, and teeth onto the floor.

"Nope, there's still me." Xavier said, walking into the room. "Ah, Kerneels, to what do we not owe you the pleasure?"

"Me? To kill you," Kerneels spat.

"Not going to happen," Intizara finally came out from behind the bookshelf. "Throw him into the dungeon. We can discuss what to do with his sorry ass later."

"Wow," Ivailo said. "That was great. You caught him off guard."

Kerneels growled again. "When I get out of this, you're all dead."

"Wow, you and what army are going to kill us?" Elias asked.

Kerneels remained quiet. He was slowly losing his patience, but he knew better than to underestimate a Blood Assassin.

"That is what I thought," Elias said, laughing.

"Hm," Hunter said, laughing. "Wait, don't take him yet." He slapped Kerneels in the face. "You have some nerve coming here, you know that?"

"Ah, Hunter," Kerneels laughed. "You always knew how to make an entrance—always with a kick. Did Damian also teach you how to kiss his ass?"

The remark landed him another slap to the face by Hunter, who became outraged. "Take him away—before I do something I will regret," he roared.

"Yes, sir," two of his sentinels answered, dragging Kerneels to his feet and out the door.

Almost immediately, doors began to open. "Are we clear of danger? Did anyone get hurt?" Intizara asked.

"No one was hurt," Hunter said. "I checked everyone before they started coming out of the panic rooms."

"Good. I would never forgive myself if anyone were to get hurt because of that werewolf's evil intentions," Intizara said.

"Don't worry. Everything's fine. And he's in the dungeons. He should be fine," Xavier said.

"But how do we know he's not going to try anything?" Elias asked. "You know how tricky he can be. What if he does plan anything?"

"Who's going to help him? The Falcons?" Now it was Nathaniel's turn to laugh.

"Who knows? In fact, who knows what other enemies we had were brought back?" Damian asked.

"No one else was brought back—I don't feel anything," Xavier said.

"Hm," Damian murmured. "You may be right, I don't feel anything."

"Ahem," Bettina, Intizara's right hand, said.

"Oh! Bettina—sorry, didn't see you there. Something wrong?" Intizara asked.

"No, was just wondering if anyone wanted anything to eat? I just put dinner together for everyone else," she replied.

"Mmm," Elias said. "Dinner sounds good right now—make sure Kerneels gets something to eat too—like some raw meat or something."

"Already did, Elias—surprisingly, he was hungry—and he didn't attack anyone," Bettina replied.

"Something must be wrong with him," Zacharias grunted. "What's for dinner?" he asked.

"Steak and potatoes with spring vegetables."

"Sounds good to me," Nathaniel said, rubbing his stomach.

Everyone looked at him and laughed.

"What? I was going to eat—but then Kerneels came and ruined everything," he groaned.

Again, everyone looked at him and laughed.

"Are we going to eat or are we going to laugh at me all night?" Nathaniel asked.

"Laugh at you all night," Xavier said, still laughing. "Just kidding, let's go eat. I'm starved as well."

"That sounds like a plan," Ivailo murmured.

"Where were you?" Intizara asked him.

"Down in the dungeon, checking on your houseguest," he answered.

"Did he have anything else to say?" Nathaniel asked.

"Nothing, except for when he gets out of there, the Blood Assassins are going to be the first ones to die. I slapped his ass out cold. He won't be threatening anyone else right now."

Hunter began to laugh. "I knew that would work. But why couldn't you let me punt him in the head for good measure?"

"Because," Damian said. "You already kicked him in his gut. Let Ivailo have some fun."

"Aww," Hunter pouted.

They then left the great room and headed to Intizara's private dining room, where Bettina began to serve huge plates of food to them.

"Enjoy," Bettina said as she walked out of the room.

"No, Bettina," Intizara said. "Join us for dinner."

Bettina smiled. "I'd love to," she replied, dishing out a plate for herself. "Thank you, Lady Intizara."

"No, thank you," Intizara's eyes sparkled as she responded. "You helped out a lot tonight. You deserve to sit amongst us Immortals."

_Plus Ivailo's been watching you all throughout the confusion,_ Intizara said, looking over at Ivailo, who was indeed eying Bettina as she ate.

"That's true," Damian said. "If she hadn't been there to help, we would have been in a world of hurt."

"Here, here!" Everyone cheered.

"Ivailo," Bettina said, staring at him. "Stop looking at my ass—my eyes are up here, not there," she warned.

"Busted," Hunter said, laughing so hard he fell off his chair. "Ow."

"Served you right," Nathaniel said. "That's going to teach you to sit properly."

"Hmph," Hunter grumbled, straightening his chair.

Meanwhile, in the catacombs underneath the Rose Complex, Kerneels sat in the dungeon, rather angry with himself.

"Why couldn't I get rid of those freaking Nightwalkers?" he asked aloud. "Why was it harder than before to hunt them down? Why?"

He sat in silence once again, quietly plotting his revenge.

"I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to take Anastasia away from Damian. See how he feels about that. And there will be no one to stop me, because they'll ALL die."

**How do you think Kerneels is going to fulfill this operation while he is held prisoner and the Falcons are in their underground prison!?**

**Tune in next time, same Nightwalker time, same Nightwalker channel...**

Sorry, was watching Batman reruns on DVD while I was writing this...bear with me...


	67. Insanity

A/N: Will Kerneels get his chance to get out and kidnap Ana? Who knows? And will Damian let him live after hearing that? We may never know.

Chapter 65- Insanity

"Hm, but how to get out of here?" Kerneels asked himself. "I should have realized this was going to be a bit unreasonable."

"Should have thought about that," Ivailo said as he appeared before a stunned Kerneels.

"I was—hey, wait a minute, don't twist my words," Kerneels hissed at him.

"I wasn't—you said it," Ivailo retorted.

Kerneels was slowly losing his nerve. "How long have you been standing there anyway?" he asked.

"For the past ten minutes listening to you try to get out of here," Ivailo said, laughing. "And also hearing you say you were going to try to get at Damian by taking Anastasia. Like he would let you."

"I will get out of here, and I will get her—just you wait." Again, Kerneels was getting to the point of insanity.

"You won't—Damian would kill you where you stand the second you try to step foot into Blackhorse Manor." Ivailo was serious, and Kerneels knew that.

"There must be some way."

"There isn't," Ivailo said. "Damian would kill you."

"Let him kill me—isn't that what you all want anyway?" Kerneels asked.

"It is," Ivailo answered. "You're a monster. Killing innocent people for what? Just to feed your hunger? Disgusting."

"Fuck you," Kerneels growled.

"No, fuck you," Ivailo replied. "You're going to be fucked when Damian decides what to do with you. If he decides that the Blood Assassins are going to be the ones to execute you, then I will do nothing more than watch them destroy you. You're not worth my time."

"Get out of my face," Kerneels shouted. "If you have nothing else to say to me, then leave me alone."

"Of course," Ivailo said, punching Kerneels in the jaw, knocking him out cold. He then walked out of the dungeon, laughing as he went.

Nathaniel noticed Ivailo walking out of the dungeon. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I am, but he isn't," Ivailo replied.

"What did you do to him now?" Nathaniel asked, giving Ivailo a look through slitted eyes.

"He sat there talking shit about getting out of there—and when he did, which is never, he was going to take the one thing that is important to Damian," Ivailo explained.

Nathaniel's eyes widened. "Anastasia," he said. "He plans to take Anastasia. Damian shouldn't know about this."

"Know about what?" Damian asked, walking up to the two Immortals.

"Might as well tell you," Ivailo said, looking at the ground. "In all his ranting and raving, Kerneels is saying he will take Ana away from you whenever he gets out of Inzi's dungeon."

"What?" Damian was outraged. "He will NOT...in fact, he will die before he puts a hand on my mate. I'd like to see him try to do that. I will kill him where he stands for that idea." He stormed down to the dungeon to personally deal with Kerneels.

"Uh oh." Nathaniel was afraid to breathe after that. "I dunno what's going to happen now, and I don't want to think about what will happen to Kerneels after that."

"What do you mean?" Elias and Zacharias walked up to their brother. "What's gotten into Damian?" they asked.

"What's gotten into Damian is that Kerneels is making empty threats to kidnap Ana—and Damian isn't happy about that," Nathaniel said.

"Is Kerneels losing his mind?" Elias asked. "He's not going to be able to do that."

"No shit," Nathaniel said.

Zacharias sighed. "Now I think it would be right for Damian to deal with him right now," he murmured. "We can deal with him later."

"I agree," Elias added. "When he is mad like that, there is no point arguing."

Damian had finally made his way to where Kerneels sat, a grin on his face.

"Kerneels," he spat. "What the fuck are you trying to prove? There is no way in hell I am letting you take my mate from me."

"Hah! You and what army will allow me to not attempt such a thing?" Kerneels spat back.

"He has us," Hunter and Xavier growled. "And the Blood Assassins. We would all rip you to shreds in a matter of seconds."

"Yeah, sure. Like you'd destroy me," Kerneels grunted.

"We would," Zacharias said. "So keep tempting us," he added.

"Gladly," Kerneels hissed again.

"That's it. I'm going to make sure you keep your mouth shut now," Damian growled, picking Kerneels up by his throat with his left hand. Pulling his right fist back, he punched the werewolf square in his face, hitting him another dozen times for good measure.

Kerneels sighed as his head rolled to the side. Seeing that there was nothing else to do at the moment, Damian dropped him back onto the dungeon floor and walked back upstairs.

"Wow," Hunter said. "The fool is knocked out again—pity."

Xavier laughed. "You're just mad because you wanted to be the one to hit him."

"True. But I think Dame hit him enough for all of us."

"You said it," Elias huffed, also walking back upstairs. "I'm going home to Damaris. I am sure she is wondering where we are."

"Yeah, she is worried," Hunter said. "She never had a man leave her that long. Let the girls know we'll be home in a bit."

"Will do," Elias replied.

"Now what do we do? Damian ruined our fun," Xavier complained.

"My God," Nathaniel said. "Xavier Donzenza, I swear I have never heard you complain a day in your life."

"There is a first time for everything," Xavier replied.


	68. Deadly Warning

A/N: Guess it was time for Damian to come clean and tell Ana what was said in the altercation between him and Kerneels at the Rose Complex. At least he's telling her and not leaving the subject alone—I mean, would you do that if this were you? I don't think I would do that.

Read and review!!

Chapter 66- Deadly Warning

After his return to the Manor, Damian pulled Anastasia, who was in the middle of cooking dinner, aside.

What he had to tell her was more than unsettling, because it involved her.

"What?!" Anastasia was furious.

"He was going to take you, but then he goes and forgot who he was dealing with," Damian calmly explained.

"There is no way that was going to happen, right?" Anastasia began to cry.

"Kerneels is an idiot," Damian began, "and I would never let that happen. Please stop crying, Ana. You're safe—and he's imprisoned in the dungeons at the Rose Complex."

"But why would he want to do that?" Anastasia asked.

"To spite me." Damian looked away as he spoke.

"Why?" Anastasia asked.

"Because he has always hated me, and he figured the best way was to take away the one thing I cared about, and that was you," Damian replied.

"Are you sure he's secured down there?" she asked.

"He's fine," Hunter said, walking into the room. "Who's watching dinner?"

"Xochi is," Anastasia replied.

"Nice, I think I will go and help her. And then go find Ayla," he said, excusing himself.

When he left, Damian turned his attention back to Anastasia. "He is safe down there," he said. "All of Hunter's guards are there taking turns watching him so he doesn't escape. Ivailo is even taking part in this watch. He won't get out of there."

"If you say so," Anastasia sniffed.

"I know so, and if it were up to me, I would have him killed on the spot. But his executioners are the Blood Assassins. They're the only ones who have the power to kill him," Damian explained.

"How is that possible?" Anastasia was confused.

"Xavier gave them that power when Elias and Zacharias were brought back. As part of their powers, the Blood Assassins were given the ability to kill werewolves. In this case, Kerneels is the only one they had to deal with," Damian said.

"I see! You mean that it was like a prophecy, so to say," Anastasia guessed.

"Exactly," Hunter had come back into the room. "And only they can take Kerneels down. We can't—if we try, nothing would happen. Dinner's done, and Xochi wants us to eat now. Apparently Ayla gave her the rest of the evening off."

"Okay, we're coming," Damian said. "I'm starved anyway."

"Good," Hunter said, walking back towards the kitchen.

Anastasia wiped the tears falling from her face. Damian looked at her, worried sick about what would happen if Kerneels did indeed escape his prison and come after her.

"Don't cry, agapi mou. I won't allow him to do anything, and after that beating I gave him, he is not in any shape to come after you. If he does, I will beat him into the ground like the shit he is," Damian promised.

"Please do," Anastasia growled. "I won't be able to rest if he doesn't get what he deserves."

"That's my girl," Damian said, a smile on his face. "Let's go have dinner. Afterwards, you and I will spend the rest of the evening by the fire and just relax. How's that sounding?"

A smile crept onto Anastasia's face. "That would be perfect," she replied.

**Meanwhile, at the Rose Complex:**

"Dinner," one of the guards said, tossing a steak into Kerneels' cell. "Enjoy, werewolf scum."

Kerneels looked at the steak, then looked up at the guard. "Bite me, motherfucker," he growled, biting into it.

"Is that what you say to all the ladies?" the guard laughed, walking away. "Rot in hell, werewolf."

"I'll take it from here," Ivailo greeted the guards, then walked into Kerneels' cell. "The steak good enough for you, Kerneels?"

"Perfect," Kerneels replied nastily.

"I'd tone down that voice with me," Ivailo warned.

"Or what?" Kerneels challenged.

"I'll beat your ass into the next century," Ivailo threatened.

"Would it even be possible for you to do that? I thought only the Blood Assassins were able to touch me," Kerneels growled again.

"No," Ivailo said, laughing. "For your freaking information, you fuck, they are able to _kill_ you. We can still beat the shit out of you if we wanted to."

"Hm, I'd like to see you try," Kerneels dreamily answered.

"Oh, do you now?" Ivailo growled.

"Uh, I didn't stutter now, did I? Bitch," Kerneels laughed.

"The only BITCH I see in here is you," Ivailo responded to this with a swift kick to Kerneels' jaw.

"Like that was supposed to hurt?" Kerneels asked. "Two words for you, IT DIDN'T."

"I'll make it hurt, you bastard," Ivailo growled, kicking him again.

"Still nothing," Kerneels muttered.

"Guards! Bring me some sort of weapon. I'm going to make this fucker bleed, especially if it's the last thing I do," Ivailo threatened.

"Yes, Lord Ivailo," they answered. One of them had a silver kendo stick in his hand.

"Ah, perfect," Ivailo said, taking the stick from the guard. "This will work. Beautiful."

Kerneels' eyes widened in shock. "What the fuck?" he sputtered. "You're not going to hit me with that thing. NO way."

"Oh," Ivailo murmured. "This? This is the very object that I'm going to enjoy beating the hell out of you with," he continued. "Boys, how much you wanna bet that I won't hit him with this?"

"One hundred dollars," one guard commented.

"One hundred and fifty dollars," another one added.

"Five hundred," came a third.

"WHAT?!" Kerneels was stunned. "You can't do that."

"Oh, yes, I can," Ivailo's smile turned into one laced with pure cruelty. "And I will." He swung the kendo stick at Kerneels' face.

"Ack!" Kerneels yelled, his head rolling to the side.

"Oh, you said more, eh?" Ivailo said to the guards, who were busy yelling and hollering. "You got it," he said, swinging the stick once again at Kerneels' face.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Kerneels roared.

"Hell fucking no, bastard. You deserve every ounce of this beating, and I'm going to make sure you get it too."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Elias growled. "As much as you like beating the shit out of him, I want you to take a break, Ivi. You're turning redder than a Bulgarian trout at springtime."

"Of course, Eli. Whatever you say," Ivailo answered, knowing better than to fight with a Blood Assassin.

"Bring the prisoner some water. And some bandages," he ordered

"Yes, sir." Two guards ran to fetch the supplies.

"As for you, Kerneels," Elias turned back to the werewolf, who looked so desperate at the moment. "I'm going to give you a reprieve from these guys for the night. Just be happy that I came in when I did."

Kerneels looked at Elias, then spit in his face. "I don't think so, you retard."

This was when Elias became outraged. Glaring at Kerneels, he let out a snarl, then slapped him.

"Is that all you have, motherfucker?" Kerneels laughed.

"I'm going to make that smile disappear," Elias growled. "One way or another, you'll crack, and I'll make sure of that. Trust that."

Just then, the guards returned with the water and bandages, along with a bottle of iodine. "Clean him up," Elias ordered.

"Never, Blood Assassin. Let that be known. You will NEVER beat me." Kerneels made sure to get on Elias' nerves with that remark.

If only those words were true—for Elias was slowly losing his temper—which meant Kerneels was now entering a world of hurt.

Kerneels didn't know what he was getting himself into—and he was going to keep testing the patience of his captors.

"Let this be a warning to you, Kerneels," Elias snarled. "I'm just getting started on my own plan to destroy you—I can't wait to see how you turn out after this."

He turned on his heel and walked out of the dungeon, still outraged and irritated with the way things were going.

If it got any worse, he would be the one to personally kill Kerneels.


	69. The Wrath of a Blood Assassin

Chapter 67- The Wrath of a Blood Assassin

"Bro, you okay?" Nathaniel asked as Elias returned from the dungeon.

"No," Elias growled. "I'm going back to the Manor—NO ONE disturb me. If anyone does, I will kill you myself." He stormed out the door and headed back to Blackhorse Manor.

No one dared to ask questions or follow Elias. They just knew to leave him alone.

When he got back to the Manor, he went straight to his room, where Damaris greeted him with a warm smile and a kiss.

"What's that for?" he asked, stunned.

"Oh, just because," Damaris grinned. "I also know you're mad, so I drew you a bath to relax in. I hope that's okay."

"That is more than fine," Elias answered. "You always know how to make me feel good when I'm not happy."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Damaris asked.

"All I will say is that Kerneels is playing tricks. And I don't like that. I also don't like that I will hurt him before I get anything out of him." Elias began to get upset again.

Damaris sensed her mate's anger, and quickly squashed the conversation. "Get into the bath. I'll give you a massage when you're done," she said.

"That I will do, and that would be great," Elias said, smiling. He then disappeared into the bathroom, stripped off his clothes, and lowered himself into the tub. Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep, ridding himself of the day's events.

_Elias, are you okay? What happened with Kerneels? _ A rather confused Zacharias asked.

Elias let out a growl. _He's getting on my nerves. I'm afraid I may go and get mad—which will turn out to be painful for him._

_Don't despair,_ Zacharias told him. _He's great at getting into people's heads. And you're feeding him all he needs to play mind games with you._

_He's doing a fucking good job already, _Elias grunted.

_Because you're letting him,_ Nathaniel cut in.

_That is true,_ Elias growled.

_You think I want to let him do that? You think I want him to get me angry? _ Elias was slowly regaining his anger.

_No, of course not, brother,_ his brothers replied. _We just want you to be safe from his games. That is all._

_I know what I am doing. But he keeps pissing me off—I may have to beat him stupid for a while._

_No, you rest. I will take my turn at him,_ Nathaniel said.

_Then I will after,_ Zacharias told them.

_You just relax in your bath and take some time with your woman,_ Nathaniel told him. _We will worry about Kerneels._

_If you say so, _Elias growled.

_I know so,_ Nathaniel calmly replied. _So listen to what I say and just do it. Again, Zacharias and I will take care of the werewolf._

_Fine,_ Elias growled again.

_Good. Enjoy,_ Zacharias said, cutting off the connection between him and his brothers.

"Maybe he will get some rest and relaxation. He's working way too hard," Zacharias insisted.

"He'll get that, plus some time with Damaris," Nathaniel replied. "He needs it."

"But, you know Eli is determined in his ways," Zacharias cut in. "He'll be much more ruthless in trying to get it out of Kerneels as to why he is even here."

"I know, but how is anyone going to get that out of Kerneels? Apparently, Ivi tried to beat it out of him with a silver kendo stick," Nathaniel said.

"Yeah, that was when he was stopped by Eli," Zacharias pointed out.

"This is going to be interesting," Nathaniel said. "He's going to self destruct."

Just then, Misty and Hippolyta walked up to them. "Mmm, ladies," Zacharias grunted, slipping an arm around Hippolyta's waist.

"Misty—goddamn, you know how to make a man feel _real_ good," Nathaniel growled, looking her up and down.

"Oh, you mean this old thing?" Misty asked, twirling around so Nathaniel could see her dress. "I've had this dress for years."

"It looks like new, darling," Nathaniel murmured, planting a trail of kisses on her neck.

"Okay, stop that! What's troubling Elias?" Hippolyta asked.

"Kerneels," Nathaniel replied.

"The werewolf?" Misty asked. "What now?"

"He plays mind games with people—those games also get people killed," Zacharias said. "And he's doing more than playing with Elias right now, which is angering him."

"Why doesn't he just kill him?" Hippolyta asked.

"It's not easy killing a werewolf," Nathaniel said. "But for some reason, it's better to have Kerneels alive."

"For now, that is," Zacharias added.

"Mmm," Elias groaned. "It was nice of Damaris to fix this bath for me. I'm really relaxed."

"I'm glad," Damaris replied.

"How long have you been over there?" Elias asked.

"I just came back in," Damaris said. "I was seeing what was taking you so long."

"I guess I really needed this," Elias murmured.

"I'll let you soak for a bit more," Damaris said. "Then I'll come and give you that massage."

"Nah, I'm done. Let me get out so you and I can have some time to ourselves." Elias stepped out of the tub and reached for a towel.

"Nice." Damaris stared at Elias. "Nice body, babe."

"Ah, you like what you see?" Elias asked, running his hands over his tattoos.

"Yes," Damaris said, still staring. "Those are awesome. My mom used to tell me that tattoos were evil. I don't see anything evil here."

"Hah!" Elias laughed. "That isn't true—tattoos aren't evil—they usually mean something, like a symbol or something like that. Nothing evil on these babies."

"Go lie on the bed," Damaris instructed. "Time for that massage."

"Yes, ma'am."

Damaris climbed onto the bed and began to knead the knots out of his back. "How's that?" she asked.

"Mmpf," Elias answered.

"I'll take that as a yes," Damaris said.

"That's so—oh, God, that feels great," Elias murmured.

"Good," Damaris replied. "I'm glad."

"I feel a lot better," Elias said, flipping Damaris on her back. "But I think I'd feel a LOT better by doing this," he added, kissing her neck as he spoke.

"Mmph, baby," Damaris moaned. "Wait, let me fix something," she shrieked, waving her hand around the room.

"That's better." Elias adjusted his eyes to the darkness. He pointed a finger to the walls of the room, lighting each candle that sat in their candleholders.

"Now, you were saying?" he asked, continuing to kiss her.

"Nothing, just kiss me." Damaris just wanted to be held, despite her mate's anger from hours before.

And that's exactly what Elias did. He held her close to him as they fell asleep.

Meanwhile, in his prison cell, Kerneels lay awake. "I'm going to enjoy making you crack, Blood Assassin," he growled. "And when you do, I'm going to enjoy hurting you and your brothers, along with those fucking Nightwalkers."


	70. A Werewolf's Rage

Chapter 68- A Werewolf's Rage

"I'll get out of here," Kerneels spat. "Even before anyone feels the need to try to beat me stupid again."

What he didn't know was that Ivailo was right around the corner from his cell, wiping off the kendo stick he used to beat Kerneels silly.

"What was that, Kerneels?" Ivailo asked. "I couldn't hear you—I was wiping your toy off."

"Fuck you," Kerneels growled.

"Again, fuck you," Ivailo replied. "You're never getting out of this unscathed, Kerneels. So, just deal with it. You tried so hard to destroy the Nightwalkers and Blood Assassins years ago, but to no avail. Then you tried to get rid of me. Why is it, dear Kerneels, that you didn't get rid of the Falcons?"

"They helped me with getting you fools out into the open so I could try to get rid of you," Kerneels hissed.

"Well, that didn't help," Ivailo replied, still wiping the silver stick clean.

"It would have," Kerneels argued.

"But it didn't." Ivailo had finished cleaning the stick, and was about to open the cell to start hitting Kerneels with it until Intizara had appeared to the two men.

"Please don't waste your time hitting him," she pleaded. "It's useless."

"How so?" Kerneels asked. "I like when they huff and puff all over the place because they get so tired. Please, keep hitting me."

"Okay," Intizara said, slapping him hard across his face.

"Bitch," Kerneels swore.

"How dare you speak to her like that!" Ivailo growled, swinging the stick at Kerneels.

"Hah! You missed!" Kerneels said, dodging the weapon as Ivailo continued to try to hit him.

"Did I?" Ivailo asked, swinging at him again. The stick cracked Kerneels flat across his back.

"Ow! You did that—."

"Guess I did," Ivailo said laughing.

"I think I will go back upstairs," Intizara said, excusing herself.

"Yeah, good idea," Ivailo said. "You don't want to see what I do to him."

"And why wouldn't she?" Kerneels grinned.

"Smartass," Ivailo growled.

"Same to you," Kerneels replied.

Just then, Nathaniel came down the stairs leading to the dungeon. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"Oh, absolutely nothing," Kerneels sneered. "Ivailo is boring me with bullshit."

"Like you're not doing the same to me," Ivailo retorted.

"Stop that, before I strangle you myself," Nathaniel growled.

"No way," Kerneels replied. "It's fun."

Nathaniel began to roll his shirt sleeves up. Grabbing Kerneels by the throat, he began punching him—until his nose began to bleed.

"Do you like that now, motherfucker?" Nathaniel growled. "Do you?"

Kerneels laughed, a twisted smile on his face. "That was quite refreshing."

Nathaniel punched him again. "Fucker!" he swore.

"Nate, calm down," Ivailo said. "You're only giving him the satisfaction of you hurting him."

"Oh, I know," Nathaniel replied. "But I'm enjoying beating his face in."

"Stop it," Ivailo warned. "And hit him with this. For some reason, he seems to hate it." He handed Nathaniel the kendo stick.

"Ooh! Silver. I think I'm gonna like this," Nathaniel smirked. Raising the stick over his head, he brought it down on Kerneels' head.

"Hey! NOT again!" Kerneels roared.

"It's not me doing it," Ivailo said. "You got him mad now."

"Shut up and take it like a man, Kerneels," Nathaniel taunted.

"Fuck you!" Kerneels hissed.

"You're the one who's fucked." Nathaniel raised the stick again, bringing it down across Kerneels' legs.

"Ow!" Kerneels growled. He was bleeding now, and not enjoying his punishment at all.

This went on again for a while, until Nathaniel threw down the stick and ordered that Kerneels be cleaned up.

"Ivi, I think you and I need to get away from here for a bit," Nathaniel said, wiping his hands at the sink.

"I agree. This is depressing me," Ivailo replied.

They left the dungeon, leaving Kerneels in the care of the guards.


	71. Suspicion

Chapter 69- Suspicion

"Well," Damian murmured, clearing his throat. "Since we're all tired of beating the hell out of Kerneels, what do you think we should do with him?"

"Keep him in that dungeon," Intizara said. "No one will be bothered by him."

"I second that," Bettina said. "He won't cause any harm to anyone if he's in there."

"So do I," Nathaniel said, smirking. "Not even Hunter will be able to put him in any pain if he's there."

Hunter's ears perked up. "What about me?" he asked.

"You won't be able to break Kerneels if he is locked up," Elias replied.

"Like hell I won't." Hunter's eyes began to change color.

"Easy, man," Xavier said. "Kerneels may cause a LOT of trouble for us all, but with him locked up down there, he can't do anything."

"Sorry, everyone," Hunter apologized. "I haven't been getting much sleep lately—this thing with Kerneels is making me have some severe explosive issues."

"Maybe you should get some rest," Intizara said. "I'll have a room made up for you here and have Ayla sent for."

"That would be a great idea, Hunt. That way, she doesn't have to be too far from you," Xavier said.

"Then I accept," Hunter replied. "Bettina, please call Ayla and have her come here. We'll spend a few days here at the Complex."

"Will do," Bettina replied, excusing herself.

"Anyway," Xavier said. "What do we do about Kerneels? He has the power to play mind games on people. How does anyone stop that?"

"We can't," Damian said. "We have to let that run its course—otherwise, he will keep cutting through the mental guards we have up."

"Which means that when we do that, he'll find some other way to get to us," Nathaniel explained.

"I see," Ivailo said, scratching his chin. "This should be interesting."

Meanwhile, Kerneels lay asleep in his cell. It was the first time since he had been locked down there that he was finally sleeping.

Hence the Nightwalker-Blood Assassin meeting in the great hall. They figured to wait till he was asleep to talk.

"How long is he going to be out for anyway?" Zacharias asked.

"A few more hours," Intizara said. "I made sure to put enough sleeping potion in his food—we're safe."

"Great. Now what to talk about?" Elias asked.

"Nothing, let's get our own food," Ivailo groaned. "I'm hungry."

"As always," Hunter snickered.

"I am too," Damian said. "What's for dinner, anyway?"

"Quail with shrimp fritters. And for desert, chocolate eclair cheesecake."

"Sounds good, let's eat," Nathaniel said.

"I second that," Damian said, passing a platter around. "Looks good," he added.

"Taste it," Bettina said. "I made it myself. You'll never want to stop eating."

"Bettina!" Intizara chastised. "Stop that! We don't need Damian to explode."

"What?" Bettina asked. "I was teasing."

"I know, I was just checking," Intizara smiled.

"Ha ha ha," Bettina replied. "Eat up! I like when you criticize my food."

"Anyway," Hunter said. "He should be waking up by now."

Back in the dungeon, Hunter's words rang true. Kerneels began to stir, stretching as he slowly began to wake up. "Ugh," he groaned, shaking his head. "How long was I out?"

"For about 5 hours," one guard answered. "Are you hungry?"

"Famished," Kerneels replied.

"Let me go get something for you, I'll be back," the guard said to him.

"That's fine," Kerneels said, sitting up. "And something to drink."

Kerneels had no clue that Intizara had drugged his last meal—which saved a lot of drama/bloodshed that was soon to follow.

The guard came back down with a tray of food and a glass of water. "Here you go," he said. "Enjoy."

"Thanks," Kerneels replied, digging into the food. "What are they talking about up there?" he asked.

"I don't know," the guard answered.

Kerneels decided to put his mind games to good use. "Of course you do," he purred. "Why else would they have sent food down here?"

"To make sure you didn't starve," came the reply.

"Uh huh," Kerneels grunted. "Sure...whatever you say, bub."

"I'm telling you the truth," the guard shouted.

"What the hell is going on down here?" Zacharias asked.

"What the fuck are you talking about now?" Kerneels growled. "And don't play dumb with me, fucker."

"What we're going to do to you," Zacharias explained. "And your possible trial."

"Trial? For what?" Kerneels shouted.

"For attempting to kill Intizara," Zacharias said. "Attempting to kill a high authority figure like her is unforgivable."

"As if you would have done something like that—I would have succeeded if she wasn't being protected by you idiots." Kerneels was getting angry.

"We saved her from YOU...you're going to die no matter what," Nathaniel said, joining the conversation. "No more stalling."


	72. The Trial

A/N: Was I wrong to keep Kerneels around? I think with a little hard work, he can be made into a civilized person.

Chapter 70- The Trial

"Well," Kerneels grunted. "At least I will have some say in what should happen to me."

"That's not happening," Intizara said. "If Elias and his brothers decide to kill you, then so be it."

Kerneels sighed. "Whatever," he groaned.

Just then, Damian came down to the dungeon. "Kerneels," he clucked. " Your time of reckoning has come."

"Shut the fuck up, Damian," Kerneels hissed.

"No," Elias growled. "Don't tell him to shut up—I think it's you that needs to shut up."

Kerneels shut his mouth, grumbling as he did so. "This isn't fair," he wailed.

Zacharias suddenly appeared, kicking Kerneels in the jaw. "Life isn't fair, assclown," he said. "Deal with it."

"Ahem," Ivailo said, clearing his throat. "Shouldn't we have the trial start now?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think it's time," Hunter said, smirking.

"Too bad, so sad," Elias snickered. "When we decide what to do with you, I'm going to sleep peacefully tonight."

"Piss off," Kerneels said.

Hunter kicked him in the face. "Watch what you say, werewolf," he hissed.

"Anyway," Elias said. "Kerneels Windhoek, you are being charged for crimes in this century, which include attempted murder and kidnapping. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty," Kerneels said. "Only because I didn't successfully do it, you know."

"Hm, so that is true, but you still attempted it," Nathaniel said.

"And then you tried to kidnap Anastasia Parezides-Zinesdiet. What were you thinking?" Hunter asked.

"The same thing any of you would have. Kidnapping the mate of the all powerful Damian Zinesdiet would have been a piece of cake, as these mortals say," Kerneels answered.

"That would have been me in the old days," Ivailo cut in. "Not now. Obviously you weren't too keen on learning the customs of today, were you not?"

"Of course not. I still had all the things of the past ingrained in my head. No wonder I didn't learn anything," Kerneels replied.

"If we were to spare you, which I doubt I want to do," Zacharias began. "Would you want us to teach you how to act civilized?"

"I would like that," Kerneels said. "I don't like the fact that what I did was even done. I have always hated Damian, and I felt that I should do something to try to break him."

"Which didn't work," Damian snorted.

"Shh!" Xavier said, punching Damian in the ribs.

"Sorry," Damian muttered.

"Anyway," Zacharias said. "What else would you do if we were to spare you?"

"Find somewhere to live and make amends with myself," Kerneels said.

"Hm," Nathaniel said. "He speaks the truth."

"I feel he may need a LOT of work for this to happen," Xavier said.

"I agree," Damian said. "But I still don't trust him."

"Well, I'm going to need to talk to my brothers and the Nightwalkers about this," Zacharias said. "We'll adjourn for a few minutes, then get this trial going."

"I agree," Elias said. "All we need is a few minutes to discuss this."

"I second that," Nathaniel said.

The Blood Assassins left the room. Meanwhile, Kerneels sat in complete silence.

"What's the matter?" Ivailo asked. "They might save your hide."

"I know," Kerneels said. "But what if they decide to kill me after all that thinking?"

"Cheer up," Hunter said. "I don't think they will."

The Blood Assassins returned after a few minutes. "We've decided the verdict," Elias said.

"What is it?" Damian asked.

"We're letting Kerneels live. On one condition, though," Zacharias said.

"That condition is, he learns to act like a civilized gentleman. He treats women with

respect. One slip up on this, and you're getting executed. Got me?" Nathaniel asked.

"Yes, I do understand," Kerneels said.

"When exactly do you want this to start?" Hunter asked.

"And who do you want to teach him all this stuff?" Xavier cut in.

"That decision is up to us," Elias said. "We'll have our minds made up in the morning. For now, he's to stay in his cell. This trial is adjourned."

"Thank you for not killing him," Intizara, who had been quiet the entire time, said.

"It was a hard decision," Elias said. "But there were a few people who felt he deserved another chance."

From his cell, Kerneels smiled to himself. "I definitely want to change. Thank the gods they have some sort of heart."


	73. The Taming of Kerneels

A/N: Kerneels starts his training!! Hopefully he will do well.

Chapter 71- The Taming of Kerneels

"Wake up, Kerneels," Ivailo said, unlocking the cell door. "Today starts your training. But first, Damian and the boys have something for you."

Kerneels woke with a start. "Huh?"

"Yeah," Hunter said. "We've got something for you." He handed him a pair of jeans and a wifebeater. "But first, you have to dress like you're from this era."

"Ah! I see what you mean," Kerneels said, quickly running to the showers to clean himself up. When he returned a few minutes later, he was dressed in his new clothes and was combing his freshly cut hair.

"Wait—when did you get your hair cut?" Hunter asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Bettina cut it yesterday," Kerneels answered.

"Nice! The others are going to be in shock," Ivailo said.

"Hell, I'm still in shock," Hunter said. "I think we'd better go."

The three men walked out of the compound and into a waiting car. "What's going on?" Kerneels asked.

"You'll see," Nathaniel said.

The car began to move. "Where to, Master Nathaniel?" the driver asked.

"You know where to go, Neil," Nathaniel answered.

"Ah! Right away, sir," Neil responded.

"This is going to be interesting," Kerneels muttered.

"To be nervous is a good feeling," Elias said. "Relax. It's nothing bad."

"Okay," Kerneels closed his eyes and tried to relax.

A few minutes later, the group reached the outskirts of the city. "Kerneels," Xavier murmured. "We're here."

"Where?" Kerneels asked, his eyes still closed.

"Well, if you open your eyes, you'd see where we are," Elias said, laughing.

Kerneels opened his eyes and got out of the car. "Wow! Is this place for me?" he asked.

"For starters, this is Woodbridge, Virginia. And this lovely home, as well as the car, is yours."

"Do I get to keep Neil too?" Kerneels asked.

"Of course," Zacharias said. "He will help you with your training as well."

"How is that?" Kerneels murmured.

"He will teach you how to drive, and teach you how to be a gentleman. Also, you'll be tested—by us—every week to see how you're progressing," Damian said.

"I don't know how to thank you," Kerneels said.

"Don't thank us," Hunter said. "Thank Nathaniel."

"Thanks is all I want to hear," Nathaniel said.

"Thank you so much, Nathaniel," Kerneels said.

"Very welcome," the Blood Assassins said. "Go check out the house."

Kerneels walked up to the door and opened it. Inside, he found his own housekeeping staff, busy at work.

They all looked up with a smile. "Master Kerneels," the head housekeeper greeted. "Serena Gray at your service."

"Nice to meet you," Kerneels said, taking her hands in his.

"Uh oh," Elias said. "He's taking a liking to her already."

"She's very nice, though," Elias said.

"Wonder if he can smell that she's a—," Nathaniel said.

"Witch? I was going to keep that quiet," Kerneels said.

Selena was stunned. "Is that going to be a problem?" she asked.

"I was married to a witch once," Kerneels explained. "I am fine with that, as long as you can help me stay in check with my werewolf."

"That I will do," Selena promised.

"Why do I keep thinking something's different about him?" Damian asked.

"I cut my hair," Kerneels said.

"Damn! Looks good, playa," Xavier said.

"Where'd that come from?" Nathaniel asked.

"I saw a movie where that was all the guy called everyone," Xavier said. "It sounds cool."

"I have to agree," Elias said. "That is cool."

"What else do you have in store for me?" Kerneels asked.

"Check out your room," Hunter said.

"Awesome," Kerneels said, running up the stairs. "Oh, my God," he cried.

"I take it he likes the room," Damian said.

"Not just that," Kerneels shouted. "It's what's on the bed that I like."

"The fur comforter? That was X's idea," Zacharias said. "He wanted you to feel at home in your own home."

"And don't think about getting Serena in there either," Elias joked.

"What?" Kerneels turned a deep shade of red. "How'd you do that?"

"I just know," Elias replied.

"He just means that he would do the same thing to Damaris," Nathaniel joked.

"I kinda figured," Kerneels replied.

"Hah! Then you're just as bad as he is then," Zacharias said.

"That is true. I am," Kerneels said.

"Or else all you will do is murder innocent human beings," Xavier said.

"Don't need that anymore," Kerneels replied.

"Anyway, did you check out the kitchen?" Neil interrupted.

"Yes, yes I did," Kerneels said. "Can you have Serena arrange to have the steaks in there cooked? I think a part of my civilization courses should include me eating like a normal human being, not a savage."

"Oh, my God. I think he gets it," Damian said.

"Just trying to act human," Kerneels said.

"Good job, Kerneels," Ivailo said. "It's working."

Kerneels let out a smile. "Actually, can I see Serena—alone, please?" he asked.

"Sure," Hunter said. "Everyone out."

Kerneels waited until everyone left the room, then took a seat on the bed. "Join me," he whispered to Serena.

"Sure," Serena said, taking a seat. She had no idea what Kerneels was up to.

Kerneels felt his eyes changing color as he ran his fingers up her arm. "I'm going to enjoy living like this," he whispered.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Feeding," Kerneels replied, sinking his teeth into her neck. "Mmm. I wasn't told I couldn't do that."

Serena sighed as Kerneels concentrated on his feeding. "Just a bit more, my dear. You do realize that I marked you as my mate, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Serena answered.

Kerneels released his hold on her as he sealed the bite marks on her neck. "That was good. Do not tell them what I did to you."

Serena nodded. "As you wish."

"Good, now go arrange dinner like a good girl."

Serena nodded her head and walked downstairs to the kitchen.

"It's quiet up there," Hunter said. "Wonder if everything's okay."

"Everything's fine," Serena said, walking past them and into the kitchen.

"See?" Nathaniel said. "Everything's fine."

"Hm, not quite," Damian said. "He marked her as his mate."

"Kerneels did always want another witch for a wife," Elias murmured. "He told me that in confidence."

"But now we all know," Xavier said.

"And how to get her alone—he had that planned...not in the guidebook on being civilized, but it counts," Hunter added.

"He'll be fine...maybe we'd better have his lessons first thing in the morning," Damian snickered.

"I agree," Zacharias said. "He's going to want to bed her later too—no point in having him learn when he's horny."

"Let's just go have dinner," Nathaniel sighed. "All this horny talk is making me want to get Misty alone too."

"Then do it!" everyone shouted.

"Maybe I will," Nathaniel snapped. "And don't you dare shout at me."

"Or else what?" Zacharias said.

"You know," Nathaniel said. "I don't think I have to explain."


	74. The Werewolf's New Life

A/N: Part 2 of Kerneels' new life...enjoy!

Chapter 72- The Werewolf's New Life

"Mmm," Kerneels groaned as he opened his eyes. "Good morning, Virginia!" he said as he opened the curtains.

The sound of laughter made him turn around.

"Thought I heard someone get up," Serena said, a smile on her face. "Did you sleep well, lover?"

"Aye, that I did," Kerneels said. "It was better to sleep on a bed instead of a jail cell."

"I can imagine—that must have been hell," Serena replied.

"I'd rather forget about that," Kerneels said.

"That we can do. Would you like some breakfast?" Serena asked.

"Sure, what's on the menu?" Kerneels asked, his stomach rumbling.

"Pancakes and sausage. And some coffee."

"Hmm," Kerneels murmured. "I never had coffee before."

"You'll like it. It's bitter, but you can sweeten it," Serena said. "I'll bring you a pot to taste."

"Thank you, Serena," Kerneels said. "I'm glad to have you making sure I behave myself."

Serena smiled. "My pleasure."

_Damn,_ Kerneels thought to himself. _What an ass she has on her._

"Stop staring at my ass!" Serena chastised.

"What?" Kerneels asked, blinking. "I was doing no such thing."

_Liar,_ Damian said.

_Don't do that!_ Kerneels hissed. _I hate when you Nightwalkers and Blood Assassins do __that._

_Wouldn't have to if you knew how to control yourself,_ Damian continued.

_Damn you,_ Kerneels swore.

_What? I only speak the truth,_ Damian said.

_You're going to get me into trouble with her,_ Kerneels said.

_I only do it because I care._

Kerneels smiled. He was glad that he had been spared from death.

Now he was going to prove that he could be a gentleman instead of a cold blooded killer.

"Breakfast is served," Serena said, walking into the room with a tray filled with food. "And here's the coffee. Enjoy."

"Wait," Kerneels said. "You're not going to eat with me?"

"I've gotta run things here and see that they go well."

"That can wait. Have breakfast with me," Kerneels said, pouting.

"Aww," Serena said. "Fine, you big baby,"she said, sitting next to him. "How's the coffee?"

"Mmm, great," Kerneels said. "I never drank anything like it. We used to have something like this back in my day, but it was made from chicory. And it was horrible."

"Ha ha, I bet," Serena said. "Drink up"

Kerneels laughed. "This really is good. Why didn't we have this back in the day?"

"Because all you had in South Africa was herbs and shit you used for cooking," Serena said. "Of course you didn't have coffee beans."

"Very funny," Kerneels growled.

"Anyway," Serena said. "Eat up. Neil wants to meet with you today."

"What about?" Kerneels asked.

"Manners," Serena answered. "I don't think you need that, since you're doing so well there."

"I agree," Neil said from the doorway. "So, maybe you can get yourself acquainted with the house and grounds today."

"That would be nice," Kerneels said. "Thanks, Neil."

"You're welcome," Neil replied. "In the meanwhile, I'll go help Lizzie with the groceries."

"That's great!" Serena said. "Then you can check if the gardener has started the lawn yet."

"Why don't I do it?" Kerneels asked. "That way, I get to know the man."

"That's an awesome idea!" Neil said. "I'll go tend to the groceries." He excused himself and went down to the kitchen.

"And I will let him know that you're going to pay him a visit. Meanwhile, finish eating and take a shower. Then I'll get him for you," Serena said.

"Thanks, babe. Let me finish here, and then I'll get to that."

"No problem. I will go get to that, then," Serena said, turning to leave. "See you later, babe."

"See you," Kerneels said, blowing her a kiss. "Ah. Now to get done with my food and take a nice, long shower." He cleaned up his dish and cup, then neatly put them to the side and stepped into the bathroom, where he marveled at how nice it was. Then he turned on the faucet and stepped into the hot shower that waited for him. "Ahh, now this is nice."

Meanwhile, Serena was downstairs in the kitchen talking to Paulo, the gardener. "So, as I was saying, Kerneels is dying to meet you."

"Is he?" Paulo asked. "I'm nervous to meet him."

"Why?" Neil asked. "He's harmless."

"From what I heard Master Nathaniel say about him, I was a bit worried," Paulo said. "A werewolf's a very dangerous thing in my country."

"That is true," Serena said, trying to comfort the frightened gardener. "He's learning to be civilized. He won't hurt you."

"I hope so," the gardener murmured.

Kerneels was still enjoying his shower. Reaching for a bottle of shampoo, he squeezed a bit of it into his palm and began to lather it into his hair. "Mmm, minty," he said to himself.

Serena, realizing that Kerneels was still showering, called to him from the kitchen. "Kerneels? You okay up there?" she asked.

"Just fine," Kerneels said. "I'm washing my hair."

"Okay, whenever you're ready," Serena replied.

Kerneels stayed in the hot water a few more minutes, then stepped out. Drying himself off, he smiled at his surroundings. He was impressed with the things he had, and much more impressed with himself over learning to be a better man.

"Wonder what's taking him so long," Neil muttered.

"Here I am," Kerneels said. "Miss me?"

"She did. I was wondering if you had died," Neil said, smiling.

"Hi, baby. You smell good," Serena said. "This is Paulo, the gardener."

"Ah!" Kerneels said. "So glad to meet you, Paulo."

"The same to you, Master Kerneels," Paulo said, completely forgetting his fears. "I hope you'll accompany me to the garden so I can show you around."

"Yes, that would be nice," Kerneels said. "Let's go, shall we?"

They walked out to the large garden, where Kerneels could only stare at his property. "This is beautiful. Do you take care of all this yourself?" he asked.

"I have a few assistants, all of which were given the day off. You'll meet them soon," Paulo assured him.

"Very nice, very nice indeed. I love all this—and the flowers are so bright and cheery and all. We never had flowers like this in South Africa," Kerneels commented.

"Never?" Paulo was shocked. "In Brasilia, we have all these flowers. Master Elias suggested that I had these imported. Something to liven up the place—and cheer you up in the process."

"Oh, you're Brazilian, I take it?" Kerneels asked. "I had a servant girl that was from Rio de Janeiro...she kept taking trips back and forth to visit family—until I had them all come over to live with her. It was then that I—," Kerneels suddenly stopped talking.

"What's wrong?" Paulo asked.

"That was when they were all killed. The Falcons—the Order of the Falcon, that is—took over my house and grounds, and killed everyone. Then they made me into a weapon of destruction, designed to wipe out everyone and everything in sight. This was why I was on a rampage when I was awakened," Kerneels explained.

"I am glad that Miss Serena feels that you are safe enough. I was really horrified when I heard you were a werewolf."

"But I'm learning to be a man and not a monster. Which is good, because I wanted to learn. I was spared from a horrible death, and I intend to prove myself to everyone."

"That is good—I feel you will do a good job. Also, if you need me, I will help as well," Paulo said.

"That is comforting," Kerneels said. "I would appreciate that."

They continued to walk around the gardens until Kerneels felt that he needed a short nap. Paulo led him back to the house, where Serena took over and led him back to their room.

"Just lie in bed until you feel stronger," Serena told him. "It'll take time for you to adjust. "I'll have one of the housekeepers bring something for you to eat later."

"Thanks, Serena," Kerneels said, drifting off to sleep.

"You're welcome, darling," Serena said, kissing the top of his forehead as she closed the door behind her.


	75. A New Danger

Chapter 73- A New Danger

Kerneels slept peacefully in his and Serena's room.

Until he started seeing things in his sleep, that is.

"Urgh," he moaned. "God, make it stop. The horrors—dear Lord, make it stop," he mumbled.

Fortunately for him, Serena was nearby, straightening things in one of the other rooms. She immediately ran into the room, just in time to save him from slashing his throat.

"Honey," she murmured, gently shaking him. "What is the matter?"

"I don't know," Kerneels said. "I'm having some bad dreams—things I did to people back in the day—slashing throats, etc."

"Wow—did you really do all that?" Serena asked.

"I did—I worked for the Falcons—all of my assignments came from them. I had no choice in the matter. I also was the one who tortured the Blood Assassins when the Falcons wanted their lands. But I hadn't caused their deaths," Kerneels replied.

"Is this why they wanted to see you dead?" Serena asked him.

"Yes," Kerneels replied.

"I see—and you wanted to try to repair things?"

"Again, yes."

"Well. I don't know why that would scare you," Serena murmured.

"I dunno either, Serena. But I want to make things right with them. And they won't let me," Kerneels murmured, frowning.

"Keep trying," Serena assured him. "They'll come around. Trust me."

Meanwhile, at the Rose Complex, Nathaniel sat alone in the library, thinking to himself. He had just sensed that Kerneels was feeling a bit confused.

"You'll get to redeem yourself in time, Kerneels," he whispered. "Just not now."

Just then, Zacharias walked in. "What're you doing?"

"Thinking," Nathaniel replied. "I'm thinking that we could—you know—give Kerneels that second chance to redeem himself."

"Why now?" his brother asked. "Can't he wait a bit longer?"

"I can see the strain that is holding him down," Nathaniel replied. "He feels that he may lose his mind—or may have lost it already."

"What do you suggest?" Elias asked from the doorway.

"Let's give him that chance now."


	76. A Lost Cause

Chapter 74- A Lost Cause

Kerneels, Serena, Elias, Nathaniel, and Zacharias sat at Kerneels' dining room table.

Poor Kerneels—he was beginning to worry and lose his mind at the same time.

He was at his wits' end.

"What if I have lost my mind?" a depressed Kerneels asked.

"You haven't—you just remember everything you did all those years back," Nathaniel assured him.

"What can I do?" Kerneels was desperate.

"For starters," Zacharias said, his hand on the distraught werewolf's shoulder. "You could start working for us—as we have a few business ventures we're planning on starting up."

"That would be good for you, Neelie," Serena said. "And while you're doing that, you could still oversee what's being done at the house."

"Good idea," Kerneels replied.

"Then it's settled—you'll start with working at the funeral home Elias just bought."

"Doing what?" Serena asked.

"Accounting—I remember there was a time when Ivailo had Kerneels balancing his books back in the day. He could start there," Zacharias replied.

"True—I do know how to do that—but is it not different now?" Kerneels asked.

"It is—but then again, Serena could show you the ropes," Elias said. "And I will as well—I have a LOT to learn about this century as well."

Nathaniel smiled. "That's settled then, and Kerneels, you start tomorrow. You will be allowed to take some time during the day to oversee your amazing house."

"Thanks. I could use something to occupy my mind during the day," Kerneels murmured.

"Wonderful!" Elias exclaimed. "I could use someone to help me out!"

"I am glad you feel that way," Kerneels replied. "What do you want me to do first?"

"Order a few crates of lapis lazuli. I have to make a couple hundred caskets to be shipped out to Spotsylvania in the course of two weeks."

"Ah, I think I can do that. Right away, first thing in the morning," Kerneels replied.

"Good. Get some rest. You look as if you could use it," Elias said.

Kerneels nodded. "I will."

"If you'll excuse us," Serena said. "I think I will put him to bed. He will see you all in the morning."

"Good call," Nathaniel said. "We should go now anyway—LOTS to do in the morning."


	77. The Werewolf's New Ambitions

A/N: Sorry I haven't been around to write...I also haven't been around to read other stories much as well. Now that I have some time to do both, I will write every day from now on.

Chapter 75- The Werewolf's New Ambitions

Working in Elias' new funeral home was a bit of a breeze for Kerneels. He was learning so much about the funeral business that his head was swimming.

The books for the funeral home were indeed correctly balanced, to Elias' curiosity. He had expected Kerneels to fuck up the books—at least once.

Elias was so impressed that he allowed Kerneels to supervise the building of a new funeral home in Spotsylvania.

Kerneels jumped at the chance to further impress the middle Blood Assassin by taking on the new assignment. It just meant that he would have to be away from the house for long periods of time—and working extra hard on the accounts.

Serena, on the other hand, was impressed with how well her lover was doing.

That night, she set up a very romantic dinner to celebrate Kerneels' success.

"What's all this?" Kerneels asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Just a little surprise," Serena explained. "Zacharias called earlier to tell me that you had some more challenges at work. And so I figured to make a celebratory dinner for that purpose."

"Very nice indeed," Kerneels replied. "What is on the menu, I dare ask?"

"Chicken Marsala, steamed asparagus, and crème brulee for dessert," Serena answered.

"Sounds good to me," Kerneels murmured. "When do we eat?"

"Now if you want," Serena answered.

"Good," Kerneels said, smiling. "I'm starving."

"Of course you are," Serena said, giggling.

All joking aside, they decided to eat, since Kerneels had another busy day ahead of him. After dinner was done, Serena had the dishes cleaned up and drew Kerneels a bath.

"Ahh," Kerneels murmured. "This is nice. Thank you, dear Serena."

"Very welcome," Serena replied. "Just spend as much time as you need. I'll prepare for bed so we can both get some sleep."

"Nicely done," Kerneels murmured, closing his eyes.

"Enjoy," Serena said, closing the door behind her.

"Ahh," Kerneels groaned, letting the bathwater envelope his tired skin.

Serena smiled to herself as she laid out Kerneels' clothes for the next day. "I'm glad he's enjoying that. Hopefully this new funeral home will lead to new things for the Blood Assassins—and him as well."

Kerneels was still in the bath when Serena was milling about in their room. "I hope I can do this job," he murmured.

"You'll be fine," Serena said, poking her head into the bathroom. "How about you get out of there before you prune up?"

"I will do that," Kerneels said. "Just a few more minutes."

"Okay," Serena said. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Kerneels went back to his meditation. "I love that woman." He got out of the bath, dried himself off, and then began to prepare for bed.

"Are you out yet?" Serena asked.

"Yes, I am—just brushing my teeth."

"Nice—coming to bed soon?"

"Right now."

Kerneels finished brushing his teeth and came out of the bathroom to find Serena finishing up with his clothes.

"Off to bed now, shall we?" Serena asked. "You've got a big day tomorrow."

"Definitely." Within minutes, Kerneels had fallen fast asleep, his blonde hair splayed out on his pillow.

Serena smiled as she pulled the covers over him. "Good night, babe. Sweet dreams."

The next morning was spent by Kerneels quickly sweeping over the grounds to see what needed to be done as he would be at the funeral home all day.

"What else needs to be done?" Neil asked him.

"Simple," Kerneels replied. "Make sure the flowers are planted properly. The lawn needs mowing. The shopping needs to be done—I want to have a dinner party with the fellas this weekend. Can we get all that done?"

"Of course," Neil murmured, scribbling furiously in his notebook. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Good!" Kerneels said. "Then let's get it done. I think I will be able to get home a bit early today, so you, Serena, and I can discuss all these when I get in."

"Perfect—now let me get you to work before Elias has your head," Neil urged.

"True—let's go. Bye, babe," he called to Serena.

"See you later."


	78. More Trouble For The Falcons

A/N: The Falcons are going to face another enemy from the past. Read on to find out who it is!

Chapter 76- More Trouble For The Falcons

Just when we all thought the Falcons were no more...

Unfortunately for the Nightwalkers, the Falcons were still in their underground prison.

Boy, did they want to get out of that very prison or what?

Luckily for them, Damian had provided enough air, food, and water for them to live on while their fate was being determined.

"Now what?" Nicolai complained. "They want to kill us—I swear it."

Terrion sighed. "They wouldn't—especially when the Blood Assassins have returned."

Lysander snickered. "I remember when they were weak and pathetic creatures who were intimidated by us."

"The least anyone could say for us," Nicolai said. "Here we are—all because of us being scared of them."

"I wonder who else they have in store for us," Lysander said.

Terrion shuddered, frightened look on his face. "Somehow, I don't want to know," was all he could say.

Meanwhile, at Edgecliff, the home of the Blood Assassins, Elias was in the study, looking over some paperwork he brought home from the funeral parlor.

"Wow," Damaris said. "You always seem to be busy, even though you're not at the office."

"Well, I had a feeling it couldn't wait—and I think I was right," Elias said. "But Kerneels is doing a GREAT job."

"That's good," Damaris replied.

"Sure is. And he is quite handy with tools,"Elias continued.

"Even better. Maybe he can erect a jail for the Falcons instead of leaving them down in that hole in the earth."

Elias laughed. "Maybe."

The Falcons had been a thorn in everyone's side for years.

Sadly to say, they were getting theirs—quite a LOT.

"We're in a world of hurt now," Nicolai continued.

"Yes, we are," Terrion said. "Now I really don't want to know who they plan on bringing next."

"Neither do I," Nicolai replied.

"What the fuck is wrong with you two?" Lysander asked. "We've been in the ground since we were brought back, and all you two can do is cower like little children?"

"Unlike you, we value our lives," Nicolai retorted.

"Hmph. Sure," Lysander hissed.

"Whatever then," Nicolai said. "We hope you die first—whenever they decide to kill you."

"They won't," Lysander challenged.

"They probably won't," Terrion said. "But they may have Kerneels do it for them."

"Kerneels? Haven't heard his name in ages," Nicolai said.

"Me either," Lysander replied.

Suddenly the ground opened, and the three were expelled from the opening.

Just in time for the Falcons to look into the eyes of Xavier, who had a menacing look on his face.

"Hello boys," he said. "Having fun in the ground?"

All three Falcons looked at him, blank looks on their faces.

"Guess not. Seems like I have a surprise for you," Xavier continued.

"Do you? Really?" Lysander snickered.

"Yeah," Xavier said.

The Falcons stared at him. "Then bring it on."

"Consider it brought, then," Xavier growled. "Show yourself, mystery person."

Suddenly the forest began to get dark.

Nicolai began to shake with fear. Lysander and Terrion glanced at each other.

All three began to wonder who it was that was about to reveal themselves to them.

"Aye," a voice said.

"This is ridiculous," Lysander grumbled. "I'll bring them out myself."

The voice laughed. "You? Bring me out? No, that's not how this game is being played."

Lysander stepped back. "Then come on," he complained.

Xavier glared at him. "You don't have that authority to tell anyone what to do at the moment."

"Fuck you," Lysander swore.

"And the horse you rode on," Xavier said. "Now shut up."

The Falcons remained quiet.

Finally, the owner of the voice stepped into the open. "Surprised to see me?"

Terrion's mouth dropped. Nicolai and Lysander both let out startled gasps.

"Boys," Xavier began. "Let me introduce you to Aleksandar Mitraynev. You remember him, right?"

The Falcons shook their heads. The last time they had seen Aleksandar was when they crucified him—in the middle of a huge crowd in Vratsa.

"We do," Terrion said. "But why?"

"You murdered my family," Aleksandar growled. "I'm just here to see justice being served."

"You played us for fools!" Lysander shouted. "You told us that you would help us destroy these creatures you've sided with!"

Aleksandar laughed. "You're the ones who were idiots to believe that I would kill the protectors of my province."

Nicolai shuddered. "We felt the Nightwalkers were a disturbance to Blagoevgrad, and a few other provinces as well."

"And still, you went and tried to kill me, because I was saving them from the likes of you," Aleksandar replied.

Xavier began to yawn. "This is getting nowhere," he muttered. "Alex, maybe we should scare them a little."

Aleksandar looked at him. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Let's torment them a bit," Xavier told him.

"Ah," Aleksandar smiled. "I see what you mean."

"What are you two talking about?" Lysander asked.

"None of your beeswax," Xavier replied.

"Sure," Lysander continued. "Whatever."

Aleksandar glared at him. "Shut up, you."

Lysander glared right back at him. "Fuck you and the bitch that allowed you to fuck her."

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "I think you're in trouble now."

"I am? Oh, I am so shaking in my boots," Lysander snickered.

"You should be," Aleksandar said. "Because the last woman I fucked was your mother."

Lysander's snickers suddenly became silenced. "You didn't."

"Now you stop laughing?" Aleksandar asked. "I wasn't done yet."

"Well, I was," Lysander said. "When we get down from here, you're dead—AGAIN."

"Had you not been up there," Aleksandar growled, his eyes turning dark. "I would have killed you by now."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Nicolai shouted. "Fucking do it already."

"Oh, so now the little shit has a mouth?" Aleksandar asked. "That's a shock."

"Yeah, so?" Nicolai replied.

"You know what I do to bitches like you, don't you?" Aleksandar asked.

"I wonder what," Lysander said.

"Rip them into two," came the reply.

"I dare you to destroy us," Terrion challenged. "Go ahead, destroy us."

"Was that a wise decision?" Lysander asked him.

"He won't do it," Terrion replied.

"Who says I won't kill you where you are right now?" Aleksandar asked.

"Better believe he will kill you," Xavier said. "Because if he doesn't, then I will."


	79. The Demon Of Blagoevgrad

A/N: Aleksandar is portrayed by Drew McIntyre, who as we all know is Scottish. But for the sake of the story, I've killed the Scottish accent and replaced it with a stronger Bulgarian accent. Read and enjoy!

Chapter 77- The Demon Of Blagoevgrad

"What do you mean if I don't?" Aleksandar asked. "There is no way they'll be alive when I'm done with them."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Terrion shouted. "Do it already."

Once again, Aleksandar's eyes began to change color. "Do you know how I got my nickname?" he asked.

"The Demon?" Nicolai asked. "Oh, please, do tell."

Now Xavier's eyes began changing. "What a mouth you have on you, Niko...what happened to the scared shit you always were?"

"That me is gone," Nicolai said. "I think the reason why I was always attacked was because I was weak. This is the new me."

Xavier let out a laugh. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"As will we," Terrion and Lysander both said.

"And me," Aleksandar said, a confused look painted onto his face as he spoke.

"No one ever changes overnight," Xavier said. "Why the sudden change, Niko?"

"Because," Nicolai said. "I'm tired of being a puppet for you monsters to push around."

Aleksandar smirked. "The hell you are. You're just saying that because you don't want to die."

Nicolai smiled. "That may be true. But if you were me, then you'd get it."

Now it was both Xavier and Aleksandar's turn to laugh. "This is too rich," they said through laughs.

"Shut up," Nicolai said to them. "This is for real. I can do this."

"Anyway," Aleksandar said. "I got my nickname because I turned protector of Blagoevgrad. I didn't sit around and let you Falcons destroy anything. I took the initiative—is that what these mortals say?"

Xavier smiled. "That is exactly what they say."

Aleksandar continued his story. "I was quite good at taking care of everyone else that there would be violence if something happened to my countrypeople. And there usually was because of you three.

I think it was because of this that I worked out a friendship with the Nightwalkers that made me see what evil you caused. This is aimed especially at you, Terrion. You were the one who murdered my family. And I aimed to make you pay.

So I made a deal with X to make sure you all paid for your crimes. Once my family was in the ground, I began making plans for you as well."

"But," Nicolai interrupted. "You didn't do a good job. We're still here."

"I've had it with your mouth," Aleksandar growled. "Be silent. Now."

Nicolai tried to come back with a reply, but his voice had been taken away from him.

Aleksandar stifled a laugh. "Poor Nicolai...can't find your voice?"

"Give him his voice back," Terrion pleaded. "We'll comply with whatever you want."

"As I was saying," Aleksandar continued. "The plans I made were simple. I was just going to hang you and then burn you. That way, you'd be gone, and none of us would have to suffer anymore. But for some reason, you were brought back. And I aim to find out why."

Xavier cleared his throat. "The man you seek is dead, though. How are you planning to do that?"

"I have my ways," Aleksandar explained.

"And that would be...?" Xavier asked.

"You'll see," came the reply.

"Ah," Xavier said. "I forgot you like to plan carefully before you execute anything."

Aleksandar stared at him. "Exactly. Now I think I plan on going to relax. You can put them back in the ground for now. On second thought, maybe not. I think I'm going to enjoy watching them squirm."

"As you wish, great Demon," Xavier said.

"Go back to the house," Aleksandar ordered.

"Of course," Xavier said, turning on his heels and heading back to the Manor.

When he had gone, Aleksandar turned back to the Falcons. "Now, where were we?"

"I don't know," Lysander said. "But you could give Niko his voice back."

"I don't know if I agree with that," Aleksandar replied. "But I will let him have his voice back."

"I don't know about that either." Xavier was getting tired of sitting there doing nothing.

"You're just evil," Terrion said. "Let us go already."

"No way," Xavier said. "Alex is just getting started with what he's going to do to you."

"Are you for real?" Lysander asked. "You're fucking mad."

"This is insane," Nicolai said.

"I second that," Terrion agreed.

Aleksandar smiled. "I can't see how this was an insane idea. You are all going to die regardless."

Xavier began to laugh. "This is too funny."

"Then kill us already," Lysander shouted. "Kill us."

"Not yet," Aleksandar growled. "I plan on killing you—but not yet."

"If not now, then when?" Nicolai asked.

"You'll find out," Aleksandar hissed.

"Easy, everyone," Xavier said. "Calm your nerves, Alex."

"I'm calm," Aleksandar replied. "It's them that I think need to calm down."

"Hm," Xavier muttered.

"Don't 'hm' me," Aleksandar said. "I know I'm right."

"And I don't doubt that," Xavier said.

"Then what is it?" Aleksandar asked. "You suddenly afraid I can't finish them?"

"Not at all," Xavier said.

"Then watch me," Aleksandar hissed. Grabbing a knife, he slashed through the tree branch that held Nicolai—and slashed Nicolai's stomach at the same time.

Nicolai's wail of pain rang through the night.

Back at the Manor, Damian and Hunter were watching TV while the craziness with the Falcons was going on.

"Whoa," Hunter murmured. "What the fuck is going on out there?"

"I'll tell you," Damian said. "Alex's gone mad...I think he may have killed Nicolai."

"I bet he just maimed him," Hunter said. "There is no way he would kill anyone that fast."

Meanwhile, Nicolai continued to scream in pain. "Why?" he asked.

"Because I can," Aleksandar replied. "And I will do whatever I want."

"Leave him alone!" Terrion shouted. "Just because he wants to defend himself doesn't mean you have to hurt him!"

Aleksandar's eyes turned into slits. "How dare you interrupt me," he growled. "Shut up for now."

Terrion clutched at his throat.

Xavier kept on laughing. "I think I'll see what Damian and Hunter are up to," he said, turning to head toward the Manor.

"That's a good idea," Aleksandar said. "I will come up right after I'm done here."

Xavier smiled. "Take your time. We'll be there."

After he left, Aleksandar turned back to the Falcons. "Now, where were we? Ah, I remember. Terrion lost his voice and Nicolai's in pain. What should I do to poor Lysander?"

"Let me go, that's what you can do," Lysander replied.

"I think you've gone soft. You're not the man I thought you were," Aleksandar said.

"Really?" Lysander retorted. "You must be barking mad."

"I have gone mad," Aleksandar replied. "Mad with the power to kill you. The Demon of Blagoevgrad has returned. And this time I won't make the same mistake twice when it comes to you fools."


	80. An Enraged Demon

Chapter 78- An Enraged Demon

Aleksandar was still fuming.

"You fools," he continued. "You're the reason I became what I am. I saw my family and friends die around me. All that changed me and made me think about the evil you brought to my village. I swore up and down that I would avenge the deaths of all I had lost."

Nicolai interrupted him. "Well, what are you waiting for? We're right here."

Terrion struggled to get loose. "Of all the times to get smart, why the hell are you choosing to do so NOW?"

"Because I can, and I will. So what? You got a problem with that?" Nicolai snapped.

"As a matter of fact," Aleksandar said, his eyes focusing on Nicolai. "I've got a question to ask of you. Why are you being so bold all of a sudden?"

Nicolai smiled at him. "Because of people like you."

That comment didn't sit well with Aleksandar at all. "What was that?"

Nicolai looked him dead in the eye. "You heard me."

Lysander and Terrion looked at each other in shock. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh is right," Aleksandar said. "Now I'm mad."

All three Falcons looked at each other. "You did it now, Niko."

"What? All I did was stand up for myself. Is that so wrong?" Nicolai asked.

"When it's the right time. Don't you remember what happened the last time you shot your mouth off?" Lysander yelled.

"Yeah, and the time before that?" Terrion added.

"Yes, but—," Nicolai began.

"But nothing," Lysander said. "Stop this foolishness immediately."

"Hell, no," Aleksandar interrupted. "Keep going."

Nicolai gulped. He was torn between keeping his mouth shut or continuing to throw insults at Aleksandar.

"Think about what he'll do to us if you keep insulting him," Lysander said.

"And what will happen regardless," Aleksandar said.

Nicolai grew upset. "Either way, I'm fucked."

"Yeah, just like the time Nathaniel fucked you—literally—in front of your troops," Aleksandar snickered.

Lysander groaned. "The last thing I needed to hear was about that."

"I'm sorry, do I look as if I care?" Aleksandar asked.

Lysander smirked at him. "Yeah, you do."

"Well, I don't," Aleksandar growled. "In fact, I feel like torturing you a bit."

"Yeah, and what do you plan on doing to us? Huh?" Lysander asked.

"You're about to find out," Aleksandar said. "Trust me, you're not going to like it."

"Bring it on," Lysander shouted.

"You don't want me to bring it," Aleksandar said.

"Chickenshit," Nicolai shouted. "Don't say things you can't back up."

"Hm. Seems to me that the little shit is calling me a chickenshit. Touche, Nicolai," Aleksandar chuckled. "What I'm going to do to you is going to shock you—literally."

"What?" Nicolai, Lysander, and Terrion shouted at once.

"Oh, you didn't know? My power is, well, quite shocking," Aleksandar said.

"What is it?" Lysander asked, fear in his voice.

"The wonderful ability to manipulate electricity, my dear Watson," Aleksandar replied.

"Oh, shit," Lysander swore. "That means—."

"I can toast you alive," Aleksandar said. "So, a word of advice. Piss me off and you'll find out what's going to happen to you."

Nicolai stared at the ground, unable to speak.

"Oh, wow. Now you're keeping your mouth shut?" Lysander asked.

"Shut up," Nicolai muttered. "I don't want to become toast is all."

"Good answer," Aleksandar said. "Now behave yourselves, and I won't have to kill you. In fact, there's someone who'd love to talk to you."

Lysander, Nicolai, and Terrion gulped.

They were now in for more than a world of hurt.


	81. The Nightwalker Gods

A/N: I know I had Lance Cade play Lysander, but since his death, I've decided to replace him with the Miz ( I can't stand him, but I like watching him suffer).

Who knew the Nightwalkers had gods to worship? Either way, the Nexus makes an appearance in the story as the most vengeful deities the Falcons faced. David Otunga is Peresin (the earth god), Wade Barrett is Teserias (the god of war), Justin Gabriel is Kerylis (the god of the sea), Heath Slater is Nerias (the god of fire), Michael McGillicutty is Hentinius (the god of wine) and Husky Harris is Antinius (the god of death).

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 79- The Nightwalker Gods

"And how exactly were you given your powers, Aleksandar?" Terrion asked.

"Simple," Aleksandar said. "I asked for help when you murdered everyone I knew and loved. Surprisingly, my plea was answered when Teserias and Kerylis appeared before me. They told me they would do more than help me exact my revenge if I swore allegiance to them and the rest of the gods."

Nicolai snorted. "That's a load of horseshit."

"To believe they even had gods?" Lysander muttered.

"But I somehow believe this," Terrion said.

"You should," Aleksandar growled. "They're going to help me figure out what to do with you three."

"Where do they live?" Nicolai challenged.

"I don't know exactly. But they can hear everything you say," Aleksandar said.

This was true, because at that very moment, a thin line of water began to trickle from a nearby stream. The water continued toward the frightened Falcons and then pooled in front of them.

Aleksandar smiled. "That would be Kerylis, god of the sea. Show yourself, Lord of the Seas."

The pool of water began to materialize into the form of a man. Once the materialization ended, Kerylis appeared before them.

The Falcons were stunned.

Kerylis smiled at Aleksandar. "Young demon, how are you?"

"Lord Kerylis," Aleksandar said, kneeling before him. "I am well. These three, however, will not be well."

Kerylis turned to Nicolai, Lysander, and Terrion. "Who are they?"

"The very reason the Nightwalker race was wiped out," Aleksandar replied.

Kerylis glanced at him. "Really? If I remember right, there are only three left."

"Yes, but they have mates now. So I was given the task of dealing with these three," Aleksandar replied.

Kerylis laughed. "This is too easy. So you're responsible for the deaths of many of my children? Have you no shame?"

"No, for your kind is evil and unholy," Terrion growled.

"Exactly. Which is why I'm here," Kerylis said. "You're the ones who are evil. In fact, all of us believe the Falcons were evil and needed to be punished. Each day, you will be visited by one of us. And since it's my visiting day, I feel a bit of water torture coming on."

Nicolai's eyes widened with shock. "What?"

Kerylis laughed. "It won't hurt, I swear it."

Terrion was getting mad. "Listen, you blue haired freak, whatever you're doing isn't going to work."

"Blue haired freak," Kerylis murmured. "I like that, and because of your constant outbursts, my dear Terrion, you'll be punished first."

"No, you won't," Terrion growled. "Do your worst."

"Do my worst, eh?" Kerylis snickered, flicking his writs. "Well then, my worst is this."

Suddenly, Terrion felt himself being lifted into the air—and right into a huge bucket of water, landing with a huge splash.

"What the hell?" he spluttered.

Just then, Peresin appeared. "What's going on? Did I miss something?"

"Peresin," Kerylis said. "Our demon apprentice has brought us the three responsible for the downfall of the Nightwalker race."

The earth god glanced at the scene before him. "Sounds promising. But what of Hunter, Xavier, and Damian?"

"They have mates now," Aleksandar replied. "Very intelligent women. Which is why they gave this task to me."

Peresin nodded. "Tell me why this one is in a bucket."

Kerylis smiled. "He pissed me off."

"As always, someone pisses you off," Persin muttered.

"But it's worth watching him try to get out of the bucket," Kerylis argued.

Peresin nodded again. "Ah. Yes, it is."

"Let me out of this thing," Terrion shouted.

"Not yet, foolish one," Peresin hissed. "Let's make this into a mud bath."

Terrion paled. "Anything but that."

Peresin laughed. "Why not? It's very relaxing."

"Plus I think you need one," Kerylis added.

Within seconds, Terrion was stuck in a bucket of very thick mud.

"This is just too funny," Kerylis murmured.

"At least he's getting a bath," Peresin joked.

"This isn't funny," Terrion growled. "This is insane. And ridiculous."

"SO you say," Kerylis laughed.

"Should we take him out now?" Peresin asked.

"How about you take away the bucket and let me have some fun?" a voice asked.

"Nerias?" Kerylis and Peresin asked.

"Of course," the fire god grinned. His red hair glowed in the darkness. "How are you, my brothers?"

"Perfectly fine," Kerylis answered. "What is this fun of which you speak?"

"Just watch," Nerias said. "Take the giant bucket away, Kerylis."

"Okay. Bucket begone," Kerylis said, again flicking his wrist.

"Good. Now all we need is this mess to harden," Nerias added. "Go. My little fireflies. Make this muddy mess a masterpiece."

A few seconds later, a ring of fire encircled the mud. Once the ring vanished, all that remained was a hardened dome—with Terrion still in the middle.

"Wow, Nerias," Peresin gasped. "He looks so very comfortable."

Terrion was outraged. "I do not. Now let me out of here."

Lysander and Nicolai shook their heads. They were at a huge loss for words.

Just then, the other gods began to show up.

"A party? Without me?" Hentinius asked. "How rude."

Teserias glared at him. "Only you would think of a party at the moment."

"Hello—have you gone and forgotten that I'm the god of wine?" Hentinius asked.

"And we're to remember this why?" Antinius asked.

"Who doesn't like a good party?" Hentinius hissed.

"Apparently the poor bloke in the mudtrap," Teserias said. "Is that a Falcon? I could smell his blood from at least three miles away."

"I don't—now let me out of here!" Terrion roared.

"Anyway," Kerylis said. "We're all here because of them—the Falcons."

"Maybe Hentinius could make them party to death," Nerias joked.

"Then that wouldn't be fun," Hentinius muttered under his breath.

"It would to us," Teserias replied. "Kerylis, have you decided what to do with the other two?"

Kerylis shook his head. "Nope, haven't decided."

Antinius sighed. "I have an idea. Let me have a go at Nicolai...he's got to be afraid of dying—and I can cause death to a person when necessary."

"What?" Nicolai shouted.

"Do shut up, you scared little shit," Antinius said. "I have half a mind to kill you here and now."

"Leave him alone!" Lysander yelled.

"Tut, tut," Teserias clicked his tongue. "Really, Lysander. That's no way to treat your masters—and trust me, you'll be calling me just that when I'm done with you."

Lysander sneered at him. "I think not."

Antinius interrupted him. "Shut up. Anyway, back to Nicolai. I think I'll make you dance. Start dancing."

Nicolai felt his feet moving. "What the hell—?"

"Dance. Dance till you die, little bitch," Antinius continued.

"At least he's someone's bitch," Hentinius laughed. "Just like he was when the Blood Assassins had their way."

"Okay, that's two down. Who wants Lysander?"

"Me," Teserias said.

The others stepped back to let him pass.

"Well, then," Teserias continued. "This will be fun."

Lysander stared at him. "What are you going to do?"

Teserias continued to smile at him and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't you worry. I'm not going to kill you, if that is what is troubling you."

Lysander looked away. "That is what is troubling me."

"Don't be worried. In fact, you and I are going to have a nice long talk—in private," Teserias replied.

"Uh oh," Kerylis said. "That can't be good."

"No, it's not," Hentinius added.

"We can all only wonder what's going through Teseri's mind at the moment," Antinius said.

"Oh, shut up, the lot of you," Teserias growled, pulling a frightened Lysander onto his shoulders. "Come on, Lysander. You're coming with me. Now."

"Have fun, Lysander," Aleksandar said.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooo!" Lysander shouted, as he began to fade into the dark cloud Teserias created.

"Lysander!" Nicolai and Terrion shouted.

"Forget it," Peresin said. "Once Teserias has him, he's his bitch for eternity. As for you, Terrion, I think you should go to Kerylis."

"Lovely idea, Perei," Kerylis said.

"And I already have Nicolai," Antinius said. "None of you can have him."

"No one wants him anyway," Hentinius said. "He's scared of everything."


	82. The Sea God's Wrath

A/N: So there you have it: Terrion is given to Kerylis and has to go to the Sea Lands, while Lysander is sent to Teserias, which lands him in the Badlands, and Nicolai is a gift to Antinius, which means he's in the Dark Territories. Wonder how much fun the gods are going to have with the Falcons here...read and review!

Chapter 80- The Sea God's Wrath

**The Forests Of Peresin**

When Teserias had gone off with Lysander, Antinius took his leave, dragging Nicolai behind him. Peresin and Hentinius also left, while Terrion remained with Kerylis.

Since everyone else had gone back to their respective domains, only Nerias and Kerylis remained.

"What did you really think would happen?" Nerias asked.

"Nothing, but Teseri could use a new decoration for his temple," Kerylis laughed.

"I bet he'll make Lysander work his butt off," Nerias joked.

"He will," Kerylis said, still laughing. "But in bed—not just in the temple."

"And what about Terrion? He's not going to enjoy being under the sea every single day," Nerias asked.

"He'll live, at least he won't be in the Dark Territories like Nicolai will be," Kerylis replied. "Imagine if he were to be in the Fire Isles with you."

"Then he'd burn by accident one day, because I'd make it so," Nerias snickered.

"True...maybe it's better I just rule my kingdom without having to worry about anyone else," Kerylis murmured. "Nah—it's not true. He will be treated with a LOT of bad things happening to him—or so we hope."

"The Fire Isles would have been no place for him either," Nerias added.

"But then again," Kerylis thought, "he's going to do very well in the Sea Lands. He's good at keeping out of people's way."

"Heh. He'll get in someone's way," Nerias said. "He was always one to be irritating to someone. What do you have in store for him?"

"No idea. I don't have any ideas on where to put him," Kerylis replied.

As they were talking, Terrion glared at them. "What a bunch of idiots. They think they can hold me in the Sea Lands? They're sadly mistaken."

"Wonder what he's thinking?" Nerias asked.

"Oi! Don't waste your time," Kerylis said. "You'll hurt your head."

"Already did," Nerias replied. "And it really hurts."

"Take a glass of water with fireweed when you get back home," Kerylis said. "That'll take that pain out of your head."

"That I can do. I wonder how the others are doing," Nerias snickered.

"I don't know, but I'm going to take my leave and get back to my precious kingdom," Kerylis said. "Fare thee well, brother."

Nerias smiled. "Fare thee well, Kerylis. We will meet again come the Blood Moon—or if we're called upon."

"Agreed," Kerylis said. "Come on, Terrion. We have a LONG trip ahead of us."

"Whatever," Terrion grumbled.

**The Dark Territories**

Nicolai was grumbling the entire trip to the Dark Territories. "I'm not going to be your bitch. Never."

Antinius laughed at him. "Yep, you will be. I don't think you've got a choice, Niko. Behave, and I won't have to hurt you."

"I don't want to be here. Won't it look like I'm not dead?" Nicolai asked.

"My people know you're not dead. They'll know you're mine and won't touch you," Antinius assured him.

"I hope so," Nicolai muttered.

"You're my companion. I will make you as comfortable as I possibly can," Antinius promised.

They finally arrived in the Dark Territories, where they were greeted by the guards that kept watch outside the Death God's palace. Once inside, Antinius wasted no time in showing Nicolai around.

"You'll be sleeping in my chambers," Antinius explained. "The rules here are simple. I don't tolerate ignorance and/or arrogance from my companions. You will be treated with nothing but respect here. If you want or need anything, I will provide you with it. You'll never want for anything—unless we don't have it."

Nicolai smiled. He was in awe that Antinius was being so nice to him.

"Now, I know you're wondering why I am being so nice," Antinius said. "But I do believe you have some potential."

"What do you need me to do?" Nicolai asked.

"I want, not need, you to sit by my side," Antinius replied. "You'll have a throne made of the finest silver, just like mine. As I said, you'll be treated with respect because you're the consort of the Death God."

"But does that mean...?" Nicolai started.

"Yes, yes, you have a title," Antinius replied. "How does Grand Consort sound?"

"I like it," Nicolai said. "Then that's what I'll be. Grand Consort to the god of Death."

**The Badlands**

However, in the Badlands, Lysander and Teserias were off to a really bad start.

"Goddamn it," Teserias growled. "Get back here, you. You're not going anywhere."

"Make me," Lysander shouted.

"You said it," Teserias replied, snapping his fingers. At once, a few of his guards came up behind Lysander and pushed him in front of him.

"Try that again, and we'll be forced to kill you," one of them warned.

"There will be NONE of that," Teserias said. "Make yourself at home, Lysandra. You'll be here a while."

"Don't call me that," Lysander growled.

"Then what should I call you, my bitch?" Teserias asked.

"Call me by my name, not some stupid nickname," Lysander shot back.

"Course, you know, if I call you that, something else has to be said when you're screaming my name over and over again," Teserias laughed.

"I will NEVER do that," Lysander said. "Never."

"So you say," Teserias said. "So you say."

"I do mean it," Lysander argued.

"That's something," Teserias murmured, running a hand through Lysander's hair. "But, as I said, you don't mean it."

"I do!" Lysander shouted.

Teserias let his eyes change color. "Dare you talk to me like that?"

"Yes, I do," Lysander replied.

"I don't tolerate arrogance," Teserias growled. "Come here."

"No!" Lysander said.

"I said come here," Teserias said again.

"No!" Lysander repeated.

"I am not about to repeat myself," Teserias hissed. "Now, come here!"

Lysander felt defeated. His head was down as he walked toward Teserias.

"Good bitch," Teserias laughed.

"What're you planning to do?" Lysander asked.

"Oh, dear Lysander," Teserias smiled. "I'm not going to do anything. Just mark my territory, maybe."

"I have no choice here but to accept what I'm in, correct?" Lysander asked.

"Correct," Teserias said, grabbing him by the neck. "You're mine now."

With that being said, he bared his fangs and sank them into Lysander's throat.

**The Sea Lands**

The trip to the Sea Lands was a long and difficult one.

Especially since Kerylis wanted to murder Terrion, who was making it hard for them to get there.

Terrion, on the other hand, wasn't having much of a good time in the Sea Lands. He and Kerylis were at each other's throats the entire time.

"Do shut up," Kerylis shouted at Terrion. "You're very annoying. Do you know what I do to annoying mortals such as yourself?"

"No, what?" Terrion fired back.

"Bleed them—completely," Kerylis growled.

"You jest," Terrion said.

"Nope," Kerylis said. "I turn into this horrific creature that delights in attaching itself to its victims and drain them dry. Do you want that?"

Terrion shuddered at the thought of being killed like that. "Ugh."

"Then we have an understanding," Kerylis said.

"Yes," Terrion replied. "We do. Please don't kill me."

"Please don't kill me," Kerylis mocked. "Of course I won't. Just do as I say, and I will never hurt or kill you."

"What do you want from me?" Terrion asked.

"Your complete loyalty," Kerylis replied.

"You've got it," Terrion muttered, the thought of being drained of his blood by a strange monster frightening him.

"Good," Kerylis replied. "Until I decide what to do with you, you'll be in the southern wing of my palace."

"Why?" Terrion asked.

"What? Scared?" Kerylis teased.

"No! Of course not," Terrion snarled.

"Don't take that tone with me," Kerylis growled. "You know what will happen if you get smart with me."

"Yes, I know," Terrion grumbled.

"Then behave, and I won't have to do anything harsh," Kerylis promised.

Terrion grumbled the entire time, completely unable to speak.

"And you're speechless," Kerylis laughed. "I like it."

Terrion remained silent for the remainder of the trip.

This surprised Kerylis, who was prepared for a full-blown war of words between himself and Terrion.

"Why so quiet?" he asked.

"I don't know," Terrion said.

This only began to irritate Kerylis, who slowly began to seethe with anger.

"Damn you," he hissed. "Say something."

"No," Terrion said. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Uh huh," Kerylis muttered.

"Whatever," Terrion mumbled.

"That's it," Kerylis said. "One Leviathan, coming up."

"No!" Terrion shouted. "Please, for the love of God, no!"

Kerylis smiled. "I wouldn't do it. I was trying to get your attention. Guess that worked."

Terrion shuddered.

Apparently this was going to be the beginning of a LONG stay in the Sea Lands.

And Terrion was going to have to make the best of it, whether he liked it or not. He wondered what was going on with Nicolai and Lysander.


	83. The Sea Lands

A/N: Poor Terrion...what is a Falcon confined to the sea supposed to do? Luckily for him, Kerylis finds him something to do...

We have two new characters here: Ourisa and Salomir. Salomir is the head of Kerylis' army, and is played by Tyler Reks (pretty much because he's terrifying), while Ourisa is played by Gail Kim.

The doctor and his nurse will remain nameless until I can think of names for them. They will be in a few chapters, since I will be writing some more chapters pertaining to Kerylis.

Remember, I only own my own characters, while the WWE owns their wrestlers.

As always, read and review!

Chapter 81- The Sea Lands

"Damnit," Terrion grumbled. "What am I supposed to do here? All I see is water."

"Don't be so sad," Kerylis said, stroking his face. "I'll find something for you to do."

"What the hell am I supposed to do around this bloody water?" Terrion snapped.

Kerylis felt his blood boil. To ease his ever rising temper, he slowly closed his eyes and began counting to 300.

"Really, Terrion. Don't irritate me," he warned.

"I'm not trying hard enough," Terrion replied.

"Again, don't irritate me," Kerylis repeated.

"And if I do?" Terrion challenged.

"Remember the horrific monster I turn into," Kerylis threatened.

"Bull freaking shit," Terrion hissed. "You can't do it."

"I can, and I will," Kerylis growled. "Are you going to need a demonstration?"

"Of course not," Terrion snapped.

"Then shape up and stop whining," Kerylis growled again.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Terrion muttered.

_This is going to be a long, LONG captivity for him,_ Kerylis thought.

He had to do something to please Terrion—and fast.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"I don't know," Terrion growled.

"Then sit there and sulk," Kerylis hissed. "I have other things to do."

"Go then," Terrion shouted. "I don't need you."

Kerylis turned to face him. "What was that?"

"I don't need you," Terrion repeated.

"Oh, you don't, do you?" Kerylis snarled. "We'll see about that."

Terrion began to become afraid. "What are you going to do?"

"Don't you worry, my dear," Kerylis murmured, stroking his hair.

"But what are you going to do?" Terrion questioned.

"That's up to me to decide," Kerylis replied. "Come here."

Terrion started to walk toward him, but Kerylis stopped him.

"Crawl," Kerylis commanded.

Terrion got on all fours and began to crawl toward Kerylis, who grinned at the sight.

"Good boy," Kerylis purred. "Would you like to know what I'm thinking?"

"Yes," Terrion said.

"What I'm thinking," Kerylis said, "is that I need to release some of this tension you've caused to form."

Terrion gulped. "If you're thinking what I think you are, the answer's no."

Kerylis glared at him. "Dare you talk to me like that?"

"No," Terrion said, cowering in fear.

Kerylis grabbed him by the throat, his eyes glowing an eerie shade of blue-green. "Remember who's boss here."

"You are," Terrion replied, shaking with fear.

"That's right, and what I want, I get," Kerylis said, still holding onto Terrion.

"And you want me," Terrion said.

"Exactly," Kerylis replied.

Too bad that moment was going to be interrupted.

"Your Majesty," one of the guards shouted from outside the chamber door.

Kerylis uttered a curse. "What is it?"

"Sorry to trouble you, but there's a problem with an unruly seahorse," the guard replied.

"Something the horse wrangler can take care of," Kerylis growled.

"Not if she's been knocked out," the guard said.

"What the bloody hell?" Kerylis repeated. "How the fuck is that possible?"

"Well, Ourisa had been trying to restrain it, and she got smacked in the head," the guard explained.

Kerylis rolled his eyes. "Not surprised there."

"What happened?" Terrion asked. "Maybe I can help."

Kerylis eyed him suspiciously. "What do you know about horses?"

"A lot, actually. I owned horses in my day," Terrion replied.

"Then I believe we found something for you to do—besides warm my bed, that is," Kerylis muttered under his breath.

"I'll try with the seahorse," Terrion said. "Where is he?"

"Stables. And this one's a she," Kerylis replied. "Her name is Nessarose. Be careful, though. She can be finicky."

"Nothing I can't handle. I'll be fine. And like you said, I warm your bed—which I can do if I have to be put to bed after," Terrion joked.

"Terrion will come and try to take control of Nessa," Kerylis informed the guard. "In the meanwhile, bring Ourisa to me. I'll heal her myself."

"Yes, Majesty," the guard replied.

"Take your leave—Terrion will be at the stables shortly," Kerylis ordered. "But have one of your men stay by the door so he can direct him there."

"Of course, Majesty."

When the guard left, Kerylis turned to Terrion. "Are you sure you can do this?"

"Positive," Terrion replied.

"If you get put to bed, I will take care of you," Kerylis teased. "Remember that."

"I will," Terrion promised. "Which way to the stables?"

"There's a guard waiting to take you," Kerylis replied. "Come back as soon as you're done, and I take back every threat I gave you earlier."

"Deal," Terrion replied, surprised at Kerylis and his sudden change of heart.

"Good, good," Kerylis said. "Now go take care of Nessa."

"Going," Terrion replied, closing the door behind him.

Once he left, Kerylis went into his chest of remedies. Picking out a clear bottle with a silver colored liquid, he quietly closed the chest and set out for the infirmary, where Ourisa sat, clearly confused and afraid that the Sea God was going to can her for the skirmish with Nessa.

"Oh, dear," she cried. "He's going to banish me—or worse."

"What's that?" Kerylis said. "I'm aware of what happened. And I do hope you're okay."

"She has a slight bump on her head," one of the nurses reported. "But she'll have to stay here another day so the doctor can examine her a bit more."

Kerylis cocked his head to one side. "Is that so? I need my best horse whisperer back in the stables."

"I understand, my liege," the nurse continued to say, but Kerylis raised a hand to silence her.

"Get the doctor," he ordered, his temper beginning to rise again.

The nurse ran to get the doctor, who rushed over to Kerylis.

Before the doctor reached Ourisa's bed, Kerylis whispered a few words in her ear.

"I will have you out of here in no time. I'm going to heal you myself. You really don't need to be in here another day."

"Is it possible, Majesty?" she asked.

Kerylis smiled. "With me, anything is possible."

The doctor finally arrived, and began freaking out over what he thought Kerylis would say when he told him Ourisa needed another day in the infirmary.

"Your Majesty," he began. "She needs to be here for another day of observation."

"If you keep her here one more night, I will kill you where you stand," Kerylis threatened.

"And you propose to do what?" the doctor questioned.

"I'm king here, so I don't need to explain myself to you," Kerylis hissed. He continued his rant by showing the doctor the bottle of silver liquid. "I am well practiced in the healing arts. All she needs is one of my remedies, like this one here, and she'll be fine. If she needs bed rest, then she will have it in the privacy of her own cottage. Understand?"

The terrified doctor shook his head. "Understood, Majesty. Nurse, please bring his Majesty the release forms for Miss Balanguri."

"Yes, Doctor," the nurse replied, heading to the reception desk.

Kerylis smiled. "Good. Then it's settled. Ourisa, I will take care of you. I'll have a guard escort you to your cottage and help you into bed. Then I'll come as soon as I check on Terrion and Nessa. Okay?"

"Fine, Majesty," Ourisa replied.

"Wonderful," Kerylis said. "Just fill out that dratted paperwork and then Salomir will come get you."

Ourisa obeyed the command and filled out the release forms. Once she was done, Salomir came for her and took her back to her place. After helping her into bed, the guard waited for Kerylis to arrive.

He didn't have long to wait. Kerylis arrived a few minutes after they did, a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Majesty," Salomir said, bowing.

"Salomir," Kerylis returned the greeting. "Is she settled in?"

"Yes, Majesty," Salomir replied.

"Good. I will tend to her now," Kerylis said. "You can go. I will call if I need you."

Salomir took his leave. Once he left, Kerylis started to work on Ourisa.

"How are you, love?" he asked.

"A bit better," Ourisa replied.

"Good," Kerylis said, opening the bag. "What I'm going to do now requires complete concentration on my part. Be still—this will be a minute or two."

"Yes, Majesty."

Kerylis filled a glass with water and poured the vial of silver liquid into it. "Drink this."

Ourisa did as she was told and drank the whole glass of water without leaving a drop.

"Now take yourself to sleep for a while," Kerylis ordered, flicking his wrist. "Once I see what happened with Terrion and Nessa, I will come back and continue the healing process."

Ourisa suddenly felt her eyes become heavy. "Yes, Majesty."

She was asleep in less than five seconds.

Meanwhile, Terrion was still in the stables, talking to a now calm Nessarose. "That's my girl. It's fine. I wonder what spooked you anyway."

He was so busy talking to the seahorse that he hadn't noticed Kerylis sneak up on him from behind.

It was then he realized he wasn't alone.

Kerylis wrapped his arms around Terrion's waist. "And how is your patient?"

"She's fine now," Terrion replied. "She was spooked by something."

"Something so bad that she had to smack her tail into Ourisa's head?" Kerylis asked.

"Unfortunately. I'm still trying to find out what happened," Terrion said.

"Well, don't worry about that. Come with me—I have a bit of a surprise for you—more like a reward. And I am very sorry about losing my temper earlier," Kerylis replied.

"Hm, I'm a bit suspicious."

"Should you be?"

"Maybe."

"Oh, Terrion, my water flower, why would you need to be? I already said I wouldn't be mad anymore, since you did Ourisa a HUGE favor."

Terrion raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Kerylis smiled. "Just come with me."

Terrion gave Nessarose one last pat before he left with Kerylis. "I'll be back, pretty girl."

The seahorse gave him a nudge and snorted her thanks.

"See?" Kerylis said. "She likes you."

"I never thought I would ever befriend a seahorse," Terrion murmured.

"There's a first for everything," Kerylis reminded him. "But enough about that—are you ready for your surprise?"

"I can't wait," Terrion told him.

They finally got back to the palace, where they made a running headstart for the royal bedchamber.

Kerylis opened the door. "Take a peek, lovely."

Terrion peered inside. The sight took his breath away.

Kerylis had gone way too far out of his way to create an icy version of Terrion's family home in Bulgaria. The whole chamber was decorated with ice sculptures. A fire made completely of ice burned in an icy fireplace.

"I love this," Terrion confessed. He was so shocked, he didn't know what else to say.

"Do you?" Kerylis asked. "I'm also known as the Ice King because I love creating anything from ice and also for making everything around me icy."

"It's perfect. But how did you know what the house looked like?"

Kerylis smiled, then clapped his hands. At once, the kitchen staff piled into the room, carrying with them plates of food, glasses of ice wine, and a delicious iced apple cake.

"What?" Terrion asked, a smile on his face.

"When I said I was sorry," Kerylis began, "I meant it. This is how I apologize."

They began eating.

An hour later, a bath was drawn for them, which Terrion was grateful for. As he and Kerylis relaxed, Terrion thought about all the horrible things he had done in the past.

"Wow," was all he could say.

Kerylis, who was in his own world, snapped back to reality. "What?"

"I have been a horrible person in my day," Terrion replied.

"You were, but today you weren't," Kerylis said. "You were a peaceful creature who befriended a seahorse while I had to be called away."

"True," Terrion remarked. "But I was never peaceful. I spent years tormenting what I figured were monsters...and then they decided to fight back by bringing higher authorities into the picture."

"And do you realize how wrong you were?" Kerylis asked.

"Yes."

Kerylis looked at him. "Something else is troubling you."

"Niko and Lysander. I wonder how things are going for them."

"As far as I know, Nicolai is Grand Consort of the Dark Territories, and Lysander's butting heads with Teserias."

Terrion's eyebrow raised. "Seems like Lysander to me. Never fails."


	84. The Fire Isles

A/N: Looks like Nerias is hot and completely oversexed here.

We have another three characters to introduce, here: Alcmene, Lillia, and Rosina.

Lillia and Rosina are played by the Bella Twins—Brie is Lillia, while Nikki is Rosina. Alcmene, on the other hand, is played by Tamina.

Read and review!

Chapter 82- The Fire Isles

The Fire Isles.

Not your typical place to be, seeing as it was a very hot land full of volcanoes and other things that either created or caused a fire.

And Nerias ruled it with an fiery iron fist.

He returned to his domain early that evening, expecting chaos to ensue.

He was completely wrong.

The entire kingdom was quiet.

Too quiet.

"Hm, what in Hell's Fire is going on here?" he wondered.

Still, there was no sound.

"They're all up to something," he growled.

As soon as he entered his palace, the guards began rushing up to him.

"Your Grace," one of them said, "how was your journey?"

"Absolutely delightful," Nerias replied. "But, what is going on here? Why is it so quiet?"

"Aye, that we have no idea," the guard answered.

"Get to the bottom of it—and NOW, if you don't want to be roasted alive," Nerias threatened.

"Of course, Majesty," the guard replied. "You heard him. See what's the fuss."

Once they left, Nerias headed for his chambers.

Suddenly, the sound of giggles filled the room.

"What's going on in here?" Nerias roared.

The giggles grew louder, which only frustrated him.

"Whoever's in here, get out now before you get burned alive," Nerias shouted.

"Nerias! Get a grip," a voice said.

"Alcmene, you witch," Nerias laughed. "Get out here now, and bring the rest of them with you."

Alcmene was the lead girl in Nerias' harem. Despite their squabbles, Nerias kept her around—and he had his reasons.

"Okay," Alcmene said. "Girls! Front and center!"

Nerias settled himself into a chair as the girls piled out of their hiding places. "Now that's what I like to see."

"How was your trip?" one of the girls asked.

"Delightful. My brothers and I got to torture a few _unfortunate_ souls—who really needed the torture."

"Guess that was in order," Alcmene said.

"But, enough about that," Nerias said. "Who wants to be the one to give this god some loving?"

"We will," two girls said, standing up.

Nerias smiled. "Twins. Nothing better than having twins in my bed. The rest of you can leave until I need you."

"Of course, Majesty," Alcmene said. "Come on, girls. Nerias, please be gentle."

"I will," Nerias promised.

"You know what I mean," Alcmene protested.

"Of course," Nerias replied. He had to admit it, but she was right. The harem had lost a few members due to his voracious appetite for blood, women, and sex.

Since then, he had to take his time when romancing harem girls.

Alcmene and the others took their leave. "Let's go, girls. It seems to be under control—for now, that is."

When they had gone, Nerias turned to the twins, whose names were Lillia and Rosina. "Come, my pretties. Time to show me what you've got."

They wasted no time showing Nerias what they knew, and pretty soon, the room was filled with the sounds of raunchy lovemaking—which wasn't unusual.

Nerias suddenly felt his eyes glow.

That only meant one thing—he was getting very hot and very bothered. And that could mean one of two things: that Nerias was going to do something very, very wrong, or that he was becoming oversexed and was liable to kill or injure someone if he wasn't careful.

"Oh boy," he groaned.

Lillia glanced at him. "Is something wrong, Majesty?"

"No, not at all," Nerias replied.

The twins shrugged. "Okay."

"Why'd you stop?" Nerias complained. "I'm fine."

The lovemaking continued, until something in Nerias snapped. Gently lifting Rosina off his lap, he silently told her to stay put as he continued driving his hardened member into Lillia.

"Don't worry, I will get back to you," he told her. "But I want to finish your sister first."

"What do you mean by that?" the twins asked.

"Duh. Each of you at a time," Nerias grumbled. He was beginning to get irritated with the questions that kept being handed to him

"Oh."

"Then let me get on with it," he growled.

"Okay."

He continued to take Lillia as her cries of pleasure continued to keep him aroused. When he was certain her sister wasn't looking, he bent over her and buried his fangs into her exposed throat. As he drank from her, he began thinking about how he was going to learn to control himself.

_No matter what I do, I have to keep myself from killing these two,_ he thought.

When he was done with Lillia, he quietly unsheathed himself from her and went for Rosina.

"Come, my lovely," he purred.

Rosina, who had been in another world when he called her to him, slowly got up from where she was sitting and came to him.

"Ready for Round 2?" he asked.

Rosina shook her head.

"Good. Let's go," Nerias said, smiling as he laid her on the bed.

This continued for a few hours, until Rosina began to feel tired.

Nerias looked down at Rosina, who was fast asleep. Shrugging, he did the same thing to her as he did to her sister and bared his fangs, sinking them into her throat. But instead of taking his time with her as he did with Lillia, he drank a bit more from her, finally stopping when he climaxed.

Letting a growl rip from his throat, he smiled as he cleaned himself off. "Now that hit the spot."

Alcmene returned to the room a few minutes later.

"God, they're still alive. That's a good sign," she said, winking at Nerias, who was sitting in his favorite chair while the girls slept.

"What'd you think? I was going to kill them?" Nerias chastised.

"Well, yeah," Alcmene replied. "You usually do."

"Ha ha. Very funny," Nerias shot back.

"I know. Oh, and my king?" Alcmene murmured.

"Yes?"

"Wipe the blood off your lips and chin."

Nerias hadn't thought about that when he had been feeding. "Oops."

Alcmene laughed and walked out of the room.

Nerias glared at her retreating form. "Evil bitch. She always knows when I do anything. We have to put a stop to that."


	85. The Badlands

Chapter 83- The Badlands

Lysander awoke with a start. "What happened?"

"You, my dear," Teserias lied, "bumped your head—rather nastily—when you fell in the grand hall."

Lysander looked nonplussed. "Liar! You bit me—fed from me."

"All in good faith," Teserias replied. "And you tasted delicious."

"You're going to drain me dry," Lysander murmured. "Until you've killed me, you're going to drain me."

"No, not right away," Teserias laughed. "I have plans for you."

Lysander gulped. "I don't like the sound of this."

"And that is why you're being such a doubtful Dottie," Teserias replied.

"I am not," Lysander said.

"You are," Teserias shot back, yanking at his hair. "Listen to me, and listen well. You're here to serve out your punishment—and to get out of the Nightwalkers' hair. Any bad moves and you'll be hurt worse than you hurt anyone in your past life. Got me?"

Lysander shook his head. "Yes."

Teserias shot a glare at him. "Yes, who?"

"Yes, you overgrown ape," Lysander growled.

"Why, I ought to bash your brains in," Teserias hissed.

"Go on and do it," Lysander threatened. "Just do it."

"You asked for it," Teserias replied. Grabbing Lysander by the throat, he tossed him into a wall.

"Ow," Lysander muttered.

"Any more back talk?" Teserias asked.

"No," Lysander growled.

"Thought so. Now, come with me," Teserias ordered.

"Where are we going?" Lysander asked.

"You'll see," Teserias said, a wicked grin on his face. "You'll see."

Lysander gulped. That could only mean one thing—he was going to die—AGAIN.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Lysander asked.

"No, I think you will," Teserias replied. "We're almost there."

Soon enough, they came to a huge clearing, where he had arranged a meal for his reluctant prisoner.

Prisoner? No, wait, that was completely incorrect.

What he had meant to say was eternal bitch.

"What the—?" Lysander asked.

"Surprised?" Teserias said.

"Yes," Lysander replied. "Where are we?"

"This," Teserias began, "is my gift to you. You can come out here and be alone in your thoughts and at peace with yourself."

"In other words, I can come here—and just be myself?" Lysander asked again.

"Exactly."

Lysander smiled. "And I worried for nothing."

"That's what's wrong with you," Teserias said. "You worry too damn much."

Lysander laughed. "So far, I like it. Tell me more."

"Besides all this," Teserias continued, "you will have your own wing with your own servants. I will also allow you to make your own decisions. I will have no say unless you need me to do so."

"But, there's a catch," Lysander said. "What is it?"

"No catch," Teserias said. "Honest."

"We'll see," Lysander replied, smirking.

The two stared at each other for a while longer, then settled down to eat.

"So," Lysander continued, "why all this? I thought you were trying to kill me."

"Nah," Teserias replied. "I wouldn't give someone I was going to kill all that you see here."

"Uh huh," Lysander said.

"Be a nonbeliever all you want," Teserias said, "but, remember, I'm being honest. It's true I did want to kill you, but you've suffered enough at the hands of the Nightwalkers. So, we figured to just pamper you instead of causing you nothing but death."

"But, why?" Lysander asked, still completely confused.

"It's a long story," Teserias said. "But you will find out why in time. For now, let's enjoy our meal. Then we should head back to the palace."

Lysander shrugged. "If you say so."

They resumed eating, then headed back to the palace, where they parted ways, each going to their separate wings.

"Go rest, my darling," Teserias said. "We'll chat at breakfast tomorrow, eh?"

"Of course," Lysander said, grasping Teserias's arm in traditional Greek fashion. "Till tomorrow."

Once he settled in his chambers, Teserias could only hope he was doing the right thing.

Lysander, on the other hand, was just as fearful—but for him, it was the hope of staying alive that was worrying him.


End file.
